What you mean by literature? This question is not answered yet. There is no literary definition of literature. Literature is a term that used to denote the written works in different genres like novels, poetry, dramas etc. Literature allows a person to learn about his/her past life, tradition, culture and circumstances. It gives us a world of inspiration and creativity.
There are two types of literature in our world of words: Fiction & Non-fiction. A work contained imagination and entertainment is commonly known as fiction. Works like newspaper report, articles, speeches and research papers are included in non-fiction. Poetry, prose, drama these are the three main type of literatures.
English history of literature is decided into different periods by the historians. These periods are different by different historian's point of views. The following are the different periods of England's history of literature;
1. The Anglo-Saxon period of literature: This period is also known as the period of Old English, early middle age and early medieval period. It is the 7th century of England. The period used to be known as the Dark Age. The works are based on religion, Bible and Christian myths. The poem Beowulf, which often begins the traditional canon of English literature. Because of the strict rules of grammar no one will be able to write works in this period.
Famous writers: J. R. R. Tolkien, Cynewulf, Milton
2. The Norman Congust: This is the period of the French literature influence in the literature of England. It helped a lot for development of English language.
Famous Writers: Phillippe De
3. Literature in the age of Chaucer {14th century}: This was the time when English literature took a shape in England. Chaucer is considered as the father of English literature. He followed the style of blindly obeying religious rules and myths. His poetry “Canterbury Tales” is a great masterpiece in English literature.
Famous Writers: Thomas Hoccleve, Henry Scogan, Ralph Strode and John Gower.
4. Elizabethan Literature: Elizabethan literature refers to bodies of work produced during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603), and is one of the most splendid ages of English literature. The most famous writer of the Elizabethan Age is probably William Shakespeare. It is the period of opening the stage for dramas. The celebration of human life, romance, pain , happiness and worries. Most of the theatres are build up in England and Wales in the time of queen Elizabeth.
Famous Writers: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare
5. The Restoration Literature: Comic and Political Literature are developed in this period of the 17th century. Peoples start to believe in ability to do something. The beliefs in religion and the Biblical myths are decreased in this period. Words are used for questioning the illegal rules of authority.
Famous Writers: Dryden, William Congreve
6. The Augustine literature: The seeds of Novels are bloomed in this period. Writings are turned into more imagination and creative. Enlightenment, reason, sticking to the form and norm are the main motives for writing.
Famous Writers: Dryden, Jonathan Swift
7. Romantic Literature: writers are started to write about nature and its beauty in this period. William Wordsworth, Coleridge, John Keats are the famous romantic writers. They are focused on the beauty and wonder of their surroundings. The French revolution is also give a great impact on the literature in this time.
Famous Writers: Byron, Blake, Edgar Allan Poe, Thomas Kyd
8. Victorian Age: The reign of Queen Victoria is known as the period of Victorian Age in literature. It is the struggle between reason and beliefs. In this period peoples are more interested in prose writing. Charles Dickinson is the most famous writer in this era. The writers are concentrated on writing about their inner conflict and difficulties in their life.
Famous Writers: T. S. Eliot, Dickinson, Charlotte Bronte, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Barrett Browning
9. Modern Literature: Literary modernism, or modernist literature, originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mainly in Europe and North America, and is characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional ways of writing, in both poetry and prose. Modernist writers broke free of old forms and techniques. Modernism rejected conventional truths and figures of authority, and modernists moved away from religion.
Famous writers: T. S. Eliot, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, Virginia Woolf
10. Contemporary Literature: In this period writers are mostly concentrated on individual life and opinions. Contemporary literature is literature with its setting generally after World War II. Works of contemporary literature reflect a society's social and/or political viewpoints, shown through realistic characters, connections to current events and socioeconomic messages.
Famous writers: J. K. Rowling, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood.
_ SUJISHA SUBRAHMANIAN
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