Let’s talk about an interesting topic which is the history of English literature. It begins with the history of the dark ages about 8th – 14th centuries comes to the head with own different types including epics, ballads, hymns, and much more.
The first examples of English literature were written in Anglo-Saxon’s (Old English) language, which is the birthplace of English speaking but should be considered almost another language. Almost all men of literature accept that English literature begins with Beowulf (one of the important poems in the old language, that considered as a great achievement), belongs to the Germanic Tradition of the Anglo-Saxons.
Dark ages, also called Old English, have a more unclear structure than the present day, whether language structure or meaning has mysterious features. The main point of Old English is the oral tradition without written works.
With the closing Old English Period, the Middle English Period begins. This period aids to form English Literature’s framework and produces many literary products. Geoffrey Chaucer was the greatest creator of Middle English literature. In his long poems such as Troilus and Criseyde (1385) and Canterbury Tales (1387-1400), Chaucer painted very glowing portraits of people of all kinds and wrote many stories in different moods from the most pitiful to the most laughable.
After the humanist movement which started in the 15th century, it brought up great artists in English literature, poetry, theater, and prose. Spencer, who is considered to be the greatest poet of English poetry, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Ben Johnson, Milton, Bacon, which are the greatest theatrical writers of world literature as well as English literature, are among those artists who gave the most vivid works of English Recovery. In the 18th century, artists such as Defoe, Swift, and Fielding gained fame; different literary movements influenced artists in later periods.
After knowing a little bit about origin of English literature, do you love to have a closer look into English literature amazing masterpieces? Share your opinion with us 😊