Two time periods make up the Middle Ages in English literature. The Anglo-Saxon Period from 449 to 1066 features the epic poem "Beowulf," Anglo-Saxon riddles, the poem "The Seafarer," and writings from the church. These texts were originally written in Old English.
The Medieval Period from 1006 to 1485 is home to Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," Mallory's "Morte d'Arthur," and the early English and Scottish ballads. Mallory's book begins the first of a long fascination with King Arthur.
Three time periods make up the Renaissance period in English literature. The Elizabethan Age, roughly from 1485 to 1603, parallels the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. A glorious time for English literature, this era produced poetry by Edmund Spenser ("The Fairie Queene"), English sonnets by Wyatt, Spenser, and Marlowe, and the plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare.
The Jacobean Age, from 1603 to 1625, parallels the reign of James I. The rise of the Metaphysical Poets, especially John Donne ("A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning"), brought a new intricacy to poetry. Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress," and Robert Herrick's "To the Virgins..." introduced followers to the theme of "carpe diem."
The Puritan Age, from 1625-1660, produced John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost" and John Bunyan's epic poem "The Pilgrim's Progress."
From 1660 to 1689 writers delved into the actual writing and performing of literature itself. In "Essay of Dramatic Poesy," John Dryden discusses the state of literature and what influence the ancient civilizations like Greece had at that particular time.
Two satirists who dominate The Age of Pope from 1690 to 1744 are Alexander Pope with his satiric epic poem "The Rape of the Lock" and Jonathan Swift with "Gulliver's Travels" and "A Modest Proposal."
Rounding out this period of English literature (1745 to 1798) are two distinguished writers. Samuel Johnson's contributions included his"Preface to Shakespeare" at the beginning of his edition of Shakespeare works. William Blake's poetry collections "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience" produced "The Lamb" and "The Tiger" respectively.
Poets Thomas Gray and Robert Burns close this period with their poems "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" and "Ae Fond Kiss," respectively.
Poets reached new heights in the Romantic Age. William Wordsworth's "The Lucy Poems" continue to spark controversy over his inspiration. Samuel Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn," Percy Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind," and Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty" all illustrate the advancement made in this genre.
Novelists like Jane Austen ("Pride and Prejudice") and Mary Shelley ("Frankenstein") are the first women writers to be recognized as writers.
Poets, both male and female, abound in the Victorian Age. Prominent male poets are Lord Tennyson ("Ulysses"), Robert Browning ("My Last Duchess"), and A.E. Housman ("To an Athlete Dying Young"). Women poets include Elizabeth Barrett Browning ("How do I love thee?"), Emily Bronte ("Song"), and Christina Rossetti ("Sleeping at Last").
Prose authors Thomas Carlyle, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling produced works like "The French Revolution," "A Tale of Two Cities," "The Three Strangers," and "Kim," respectively.
Playwright Oscar Wilde produced "The Importance of Being Earnest."
All the literary genres, prose, poetry, and drama, soared at the start of this modern period of English literature and continue to entertain readers. Writers like Joseph Conrad, H.G. Wells, James Joyce, Jean Rhys, Salman Rushdie, William Butler Yeats, D.H. Lawrence, Margaret Atwood produced and continue to produce works too numerous to count. Well-known dramatist Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" has become known worldwide through its modern rendition "My Fair Lady."