A Survey of the Development of English Literature

A Survey of the Development of English Literature

10英教2班蒋亚芳

Literature is one of the most important parts of each nation’s history. British literature is no exception. It has a long history of about 1300 years up to the present. From the academic angle, English literature can be divided into seven periods as follows.

The first period is literature of Old and Middle English Period (450-1485). The old English literature is also called the Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066). The main format of literature is epic and prose, of which The Song of Beowulf and The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle represent the summit of achievement. The Middle English Period is the Anglo-Norman Period (1066-1485). The main forms in this period vary from poetry, prose and drama. Geoffrey Chaucer is the greatest poet and his work Canterbury Tale is the highest achievement.

The second period is Literature of English Renaissance Period (1485-1616), which is regarded as the greatest in English literature history. Renaissance is an intellectual movement and the keynote is humanism. Thomas More, the author of Utopia, is the greatest humanist. Drama and prose burst into flourishing in Elizabethan era. William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the greatest dramatist and poet. Even today, his works are still very popular around the world. Bacon’s essays are regarded as the landmark of English literature. His representative work is Of Studies.

The 17th century is a period of Revolution and Restoration. Poetry, drama, prose were popular in this politically tempestuous period. The greatest representatives are John Milton, John Donne, the representative of Metaphysical School and John Bunyan, a great prose writer.

The 18th century is the Age of Enlightenment. In this century, economy and science technology developed quickly which stimulated the development of literature. Literature in this period can be roughly divided into three stages, Neo-classicism, Modern English novel and the beginning of Sentimentalism and Pre-romanticism.

The fifth period is the Romantic Period (1798-1832). It was an age of poetry. The famous poets can be grouped into two generations. The representatives of the first generation are Wordsworth, Coleridge. The representatives of the second generation are Byron, Shelly and Keats.

The sixth period is Literature of the Victorian Age (1832-1902). Novel is the most important literature achievement which was related to critical realism. It reflected each aspect of the social world. The well-known writers were Charles Dickens, William Makepeace, and the Bronte. Except the fruitful achievements of novels, prose and poetry were also very popular.

The 20th century literature witnessed the blooming of Modernism and Post-modernism. The most important period for modernism was between 1910 and 1925. The representatives are Thomas Hardy and Joseph Conrad. After WWI, modernism faded into what has been termed Post-modernism. Poetry, drama and novel were also the mainstream in 20th century.