History of English Literature

HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

As the students of English literature, we must be well acquainted with the origin and history of English literature. Historians have divided the development of English literature into following broad periods.

450-1066: Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Literature

1066-1500: Middle English Literature

1500-1660: The Renaissance

1558-1603: Elizabethan Age (Age of Shakespeare)

1603-1625: Jacobean Age 

1625-1649: Caroline Age 

1649-1660: Commonwealth Period (Puritan Age)

1660-1798: The Neoclassical Period

1660-1700: The Restoration Age (Age of Dryden)

1700-1745: The Augustan Age (Age of Pope) 

1745-1798: The Age of Sensibility (Transitional Age / Age of Johnson)

1798-1830: The Romantic Period

1830-1900: The Victorian Period (Age of Tennyson)

1901-1914: The Edwardian Period

1914-1945: The Modern Period

1945 onwards: Postmodern Period

Let’s get some introductory idea about all these periods.

OLD ENGLISH (ANGLO-SAXON) LITERATURE (450-1066):

The Old English Period also known as the Anglo-Saxon period refers to the literature produced after the invasion of Celtic England by Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons and Jutes) in the first half of the 5th century to the conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror. 

During this Old English Period, written literature began to develop from oral tradition. For the first time, poetry was now in the written vernacular English language during the 8th century. One of the most well-known 8th century Old English works of literature is ‘Beowulf’, a great Germanic epic poem. The author of this epic is still unknown. Two other noted poets of the Old English Period who wrote on biblical and religious themes were Caedmon and Cynewulf. 

MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE (1066-1500):

The literature produced between the Norman Conquest in 1066 and 1500 is called Middle English literature. Prior to the second half of the 14th century, vernacular literature consisted primarily of religious writings. But it was during the second half of the 14th century that we come across literature in its true artistic sense. Geoffrey Chaucer was the first poet of English literature during this period who earned name and fame as the father of English poetry. His most popular works were ‘The Canterbury Tales’, ‘House of Fame’, ‘Legend of Good Women’, ‘Troilus and Criseyde’. 

THE RENAISSANCE (1500-1660):

The movement of Renaissance (rebirth) in English literature began with English humanist poets such as Sir Thomas Moore and Sir Thomas Wyatt. They introduced Petrarchan Italian sonnets in England and a new era of writing lyrical poetry began with this. The influence of this Renaissance continues even during the Elizabethan Age, the Jacobean Age, the Caroline Age, and the Commonwealth Period (Puritan Age). 

ELIZABETHAN AGE (AGE OF SHAKESPEARE) (1558-1603):

This period is named after Queen Elizabeth as she ruled on England from 1558 to 1603. During this time, medieval tradition was blended with Renaissance optimism. Lyric poetry, prose, and drama were the major popular forms of literature that bloomed during the Elizabethan Age. Some important writers of the Elizabethan Age include William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Ben Jonson. 

JACOBEAN AGE (1603-1625):

The Jacobean Age of English Literature coincides with the reign of James I, 1603 - 1625. During this period, English literature became sophisticated and conscious of social abuse and rivalry. The Jacobean writers produced rich prose and drama. The translation of the ‘Bible’ by King James came during this period. Shakespeare and Ben Jonson wrote during the Jacobean Age. Shakespeare had already popularized romantic comedy and Ben Jonson introduced a new kind of comedy known as Comedy of Humour. John Donne reacted against the Romantic poetry of Shakespeare and introduced Metaphysical poetry. Francis Bacon also earned popularity as an outstanding essayist.

CAROLINE AGE (1625-1649):

The Caroline Age of English literature is the period of King Charles I. The writers of this age wrote with refinement and elegance. This era produced a host of poets known as the "Cavalier Poets". The poets like Thomas Carew, Richard Lovelace, and Suckling are known as Cavalier poets. Other poets like George Herbert, Henry Vaughan and others continued the metaphysical poetry.  The dramatists of this age were the last to write drama in the Elizabethan style. 

COMMONWEALTH PERIOD (PURITAN AGE) (1649-1660):

The Commonwealth Period is also known as the Age of Puritanism. Oliver Cromwell was a leader of this puritanism. This period produced many political writings of John Milton and Thomas Hobbes. In 1642, the Puritans closed the theatres on moral and religious grounds. For the next 18 years, the theatres remained closed. Hence, there was a decline in the popularity of drama during this period.

THE NEOCLASSICAL PERIOD (1660-1798):

The Neoclassical Period of English literature was much influenced by contemporary French drama and poetry. The literature of this time is known for its use of French philosophy, reason, wit, satire, strict adherence to rules and refinement. It is called Neo-Classical period as the writers strictly followed the norms and rules devised by the classical Greek and Roman writers.

Like the period of Renaissance, the Neoclassical Period can be divided into three subsidiary periods - the Restoration, the Augustan Age, and the Age of Sensibility or Transition.

 

THE RESTORATION AGE (AGE OF DRYDEN) (1660-1700):

This period is marked by the restoration of the monarchy and the triumph of reason and tolerance over religious and political passion. We find abundance of prose and poetry and the distinctive comedy of manners known as Restoration comedy. John Dryden was the most outstanding literary figure of this age. John Milton published his epics ‘Paradise Lost’ and ‘Paradise Regained’ during this period. Other major writers of the era include William Congreve, William Wycherley and John Locke. 

THE AUGUSTAN AGE (AGE OF POPE) (1700-1745):

The Augustan Age of English literature derives its name from the brilliant literary period of Virgil and Ovid under the Roman emperor Augustus (27 B.C. - A.D. 14). In English literature, the Augustan Age, also known as the Age of Pope refers to literature with the predominant characteristics of refinement, clarity, elegance, and balance of judgment. Well-known writers of the Augustan Age include Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, and Daniel Defoe. A significant contribution of this time period included the release of the first English novels by Defoe, and the "novel of character," Pamela, by Samuel Richardson in 1740/41. 

AGE OF SENSIBILITY (AGE OF TRANSITION) (1745-1798):

This period is also known as the age of enlightenment or the age of Dr. Samuel Johnson. The literature of this period emphasized more on instinct and feeling, rather than judgment and restraint. The writers took inspiration from the Middle Ages they were interested in the medieval ballads and folk literature. Dr. Johnson published the first dictionary of English language in 1755. He also earned popularity as an important critic through his ‘Preface to Shakespeare’. This period also produced some of the greatest early novels of the English language, including Richardson's ‘Clarissa’ (1748) and Henry Fielding's ‘Tom Jones’ (1749). 

THE ROMANTIC PERIOD (1798-1830):

William Wordsworth and S. T. Coleridge published ‘Lyrical Ballads’ in 1798 and this marked the beginning of a new era of Romanticism in English literature. Romantic literature can be characterized by subjectivity, strong emotions, symbolism, love for nature, love for past and the supernatural elements. The writers of Romantic period were much innovative. They believed in freedom from rules. Their literature is highly spontaneous, imaginative, personal, and free. The Romantic Period produced a wealth of authors including S. T. Coleridge, William Wordsworth, John Keats, P. B. Shelley, Jane Austen, Lord Byron and others. 

It was during the Romantic Period that Gothic literature was born. Traits of Gothic literature are dark and gloomy settings and characters and situations that are fantastic, grotesque, wild, savage, mysterious, and often melodramatic. Two of the most famous Gothic novelists are Anne Radcliffe and Mary Shelley. 

THE VICTORIAN PERIOD (AGE OF TENNYSON) (1830-1900):

As the Victorian Period of English literature spans over six decades, the year 1870 is often used to divide the era into "early Victorian" and "late Victorian." In general, Victorian literature deals with the issues and problems of the day. Some contemporary issues that the Victorians dealt with include the social, economic, religious, and intellectual issues and problems surrounding the Industrial Revolution, growing class tensions, the early feminist movement, and pressures toward political and social reform. Some of the most recognized authors of the Victorian era include Alfred Lord Tennyson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, her husband Robert, Matthew Arnold, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy. 

It was during this Victorian Period that we find two literary movements - The Pre-Raphaelites (1848-1860) and the movement of Aestheticism and Decadence (1880-1900).

In 1848, a group of English artists, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti, formed the "Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood." It was the aim of this group to return to a style of truthfulness, simplicity, and religious devotion that had reigned prior to Raphael and the high Italian Renaissance. Rossetti and his literary followers incorporated these ideals into their literature, and the result was that of the literary Pre-Raphaelites. 

The movement of Aestheticism and Decadence was influenced by French thinkers. The authors of this movement encouraged experimentation and held the view that art must be pure and beautiful. They rejected morality in art. They believed in the famous dictum ‘Art for Art’s Sake’. A well-known author of the English Aestheticism and Decadence movement is Oscar Wilde. 

THE EDWARDIAN PERIOD (1901-1914):

The Edwardian Period is named after King Edward VII and spans the time from Queen Victoria's death (1901) to the beginning of World War I (1914). During this time, the British Empire was at its height and the wealthy lived lives of materialistic luxury. The literature of the Edwardian Period mainly reflects and comments on the social problems. George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells attacked social injustice and the selfishness of the upper classes. Other writers of the time include William Butler Yeats, Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling, Henry James, and E.M. Forster. 

THE MODERN PERIOD (AGE OF T. S. ELIOT) (1914-1945):

The Modern Period of English literature begins from the beginning of World War I in 1914. The authors of this period experimented with subject matter, form, and style and gained achievements in all literary genres. Poets of the period include Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, and Seamus Heaney. Novelists include James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, and Virginia Woolf. Dramatists include Noel Coward and Samuel Beckett.

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