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Period: 450 to 1066
Old English
This period dates back to the invasion of two Germanic tribes: the Angles and the Saxons (along with the Jutes) of Celtic England circa 450. The era ends in 1066 when Norman France, under William, conquered England. -
731
English church and people
The Venerable Bede, in his monastery at Jarrow, completes his history of the English church and people -
800
Beowulf
Beowulf, the first great work of Germanic literature, mingles the legends of Scandinavia with the experience in England of Angles and Saxons -
Period: 1066 to 1500
Middle English
Huge transition in the language, culture, and lifestyle of England and results in what we can recognize today as a form of “modern” (recognizable) English. -
1340
Ockham's Razo
William of Ockham advocates paring down arguments to their essentials, an approach later known as Ockham's Razor -
1387
100 Canterbury Tales
Chaucer begins an ambitious scheme for 100 Canterbury Tales, of which he completes only 24 by the time of his death. -
1469
Morte d'Arthur
Thomas Malory, in gaol somewhere in England, compiles Morte d'Arthur – an English account of the French tales of King Arthur -
Period: 1500 to
The Renaissance
Also known as the "“Early Modern”. This period is often subdivided into four parts, including the Elizabethan Age (1558–1603), the Jacobean Age (1603–1625), the Caroline Age (1625–1649), and the Commonwealth Period (1649–1660). -
1524
Translation of the Bible
William Tyndale studies in the university at Wittenberg and plans to translate the Bible into English -
1549
English prayer book
The first version of the English prayer book, or Book of Common Prayer, is published with text by Thomas Cranmer -
1567
Common Prayer Book and the New Testament
The Book of Common Prayer and the New Testament are published in Welsh, to be followed by the complete Bible in 1588 -
The Faerie Queene
English poet Edmund Spenser celebrates the Protestant Elizabeth I as The Faerie Queene -
Period: to
The Neoclassical Period
It is subdivided into ages, including The Restoration (1660–1700), The Augustan Age (1700–1745), and The Age of Sensibility (1745–1785). -
Hamlet
Shakespeare's central character in Hamlet expresses both the ideals of the Renaissance and the disillusion of a less confident age -
Ben Jonson
The satirical voice of the English playwright Ben Jonson is heard to powerful effect in Volpone -
William Shakespeare dies
William Shakespeare dies at New Place, his home in Stratford-upon-Avon, and is buried in Holy Trinity Church -
Thirty-six Shakespeare plays
John Heminge and Henry Condell publish thirty-six Shakespeare plays in the First Folio -
Samuel Pepy
On the first day of the new year Samuel Pepys gets up late, eats the remains of the turkey and begins his diary -
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is published, earning its author John Milton just £10 -
The Pilgrim's Progress
Part I of The Pilgrim's Progress, written during John Bunyan's two spells in Bedford Gaol, is published and is immediately popular -
Oroonoko
Aphra Behn's novel Oroonoko makes an early protest against the inhumanity of the African slave trade -
The Augustan Age
The Augustan Age begins in English literature, claiming comparison with the equivalent flowering under Augustus Caesar -
Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, with its detailed realism, can be seen as the first English novel -
Gulliver's Travels.
Jonathan Swift sends his hero on a series of bitterly satirical travels in Gulliver's Travels. -
Dictionary of the English Language
Samuel Johnson publishes his magisterial Dictionary of the English Language -
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
English historian Edward Gibbon, sitting among ruins in Rome, conceives the idea of Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire -
Encyclopaedia Britannica
A Society of Gentlemen in Scotland begins publication of the immensely successful Encyclopaedia Britannica -
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire publishing
English historian Edward Gibbon publishes the first volume of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire -
Period: to
The Romantic Period
American literature has its own Romantic period, but typically when one speaks of Romanticism, one is referring to this great and diverse age of British literature, perhaps the most popular and well-known of all literary ages. -
Songs of Innocence
William Blake publishes Songs of Innocence, a volume of his poems with every page etched and illustrated by himself -
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
English author Mary Wollstonecraft publishes a passionately feminist work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman -
Age of Reason
Thomas Paine publishes his completed Age of Reason, an attack on conventional Christianity -
Lyrical Ballads
English poets Wordsworth and Coleridge jointly publish Lyrical Ballads, a milestone in the Romantic movement -
The Lay of the Last Minstrel
Walter Scott publishes The Lay of the Last Minstrel, the long romantic poem that first brings him fame -
The Necessity of Atheism
Percy Bysshe Shelley is expelled from Oxford University for circulating a pamphlet with the title The Necessity of Atheism -
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice, based on a youthful work of 1797 called First Impressions, is the second of Jane Austen's novels to be published -
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley publishes Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, a Gothic tale about giving life to an artificial man -
Confessions of an English Opium-Eater
English author Thomas De Quincey publishes his autobiographical Confessions of an English Opium-Eater -
Domestic Manners of the Americans
English author Frances Trollope ruffles transatlantic feathers with her Domestic Manners of the Americans, based on a 3-year stay -
Period: to
The Victorian Period
This period is named for the reign of Queen Victoria, who ascended to the throne in 1837, and it lasts until her death in 1901. -
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens' first novel, Oliver Twist, begins monthly publication (in book form, 1838) -
The Condition of the Working Class in England
Friedrich Engels, after running a textile factory in Manchester, publishes The Condition of the Working Class in England -
Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases
London physician Peter Mark Roget publishes his dictionary of synonyms, the Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases -
Origin of Species
Charles Darwin puts forward the theory of evolution in On the Origin of Species, the result of 20 years' research -
Self-Help, a manual for ambitious young men
Samuel Smiles provides an inspiring ideal of Victorian enterprise in Self-Help, a manual for ambitious young men -
Far from the Madding Crowd
English author Thomas Hardy has his first success with his novel Far from the Madding Crowd -
Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure story, Treasure Island, features Long John Silver and Ben Gunn -
New English Dictionary volume A
Oxford University Press publishes the A volume of its New English Dictionary, which will take 37 years to reach Z -
Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet
Sherlock Holmes features in Conan Doyle's first novel, A Study in Scarlet -
Lord Jim
Joseph Conrad publishes his novel Lord Jim about a life of failure and redemption in the far East -
Period: to
The Edwardian Period
This period is named for King Edward VII and covers the period between Victoria’s death and the outbreak of World War I. -
Just So Stories for Little Children
Rudyard Kipling publishes his Just So Stories for Little Children -
Nostromo
Joseph Conrad publishes his novel Nostromo, about a revolution in South America and a fatal horde of silver -
Major Barbara and Man and Superman
Bernard Shaw has two new plays opening in London in the same year, Major Barbara and Man and Superman -
The History of Mr Polly
H.G. Wells publishes The History of Mr Polly, a novel about an escape from drab everyday existence -
Howard's End
E.M. Forster publishes Howard's End, his novel about the Schlegel sisters and the Wilcox family. -
Period: to
The Georgian Period
The Georgian period usually refers to the reign of George V (1910–1936) but sometimes also includes the reigns of the four successive Georges from 1714–1830. -
The Times Literary Supplement
The Times Literary Supplement is published in London as an independent paper, separate from The Times -
Period: to
The Modern Period
The modern period traditionally applies to works written after the start of World War I. It is difficult to say whether modernism has ended, though we know that postmodernism has developed after and from it; for now, the genre remains ongoing. -
The Voyage Out
The English writer Virginia Woolf publishes her first novel, The Voyage Out -
The Return of the Soldier
Rebecca West publishes her first novel, The Return of the Soldier -
Rain
Somerset Maugham's short story 'Rain' (in his collection The Trembling of a Leaf) introduces the lively American prostitute Sadie Thompson -
A Passage to India
E.M. Forster's novel A Passage to India builds on cultural misconceptions between the British and Indian communities -
Tarka the Otter
Henry Williamson wins a wide readership with Tarka the Otter, a realistic story of the life and death of an otter in Devon -
To The Lighthouse
Virginia Woolf uses a Hebridean holiday as the setting for her narrative in To The Lighthouse -
Poems - W.H. Auden
English author W.H. Auden's first collection of poetry is published with the simple title Poems -
The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money
John Maynard Keynes defines his economics in The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money -
Scoop
British author Evelyn Waugh publishes a classic Fleet Street novel, Scoop, introducing Lord Copper, proprietor of The Beast -
The Third Policeman
Flann O'Brien's The Third Policeman is rejected by numerous publishers before becoming, decades later, his best-known novel -
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon
British author Rebecca West publishes an account of Yugoslavia, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon -
Four Quartets
The separate poems forming T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets are brought together for the first time as a single volume, published in New York -
The Pursuit of Love
English author Nancy Mitford has her first success with the novel The Pursuit of Love -
Period: to
The Postmodern Period
The postmodern period begins about the time that World War II ended. Many believe it is a direct response to modernism -
Titus Groan
Titus Groan begins British author Mervyn Peake's trilogy of gothic novels -
Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
C.S. Lewis gives the first glimpse of Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -
Casino Royale
James Bond, agent 007, has a licence to kill in Ian Fleming's first novel, Casino Royale -
Lord of the Flies
William Golding gives a chilling account of schoolboy savagery in his first novel, Lord of the Flies -
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl publishes a fantasy treat for a starving child, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -
Amadeus
Peter Shaffer's play about Mozart, Amadeus, has its premiere in London -
War music
War Music is the first instalment of Christopher Logue's version of the Iliad -
His Dark Materials
The Amber Spyglass completes Philip Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials