English literature did not take written form until after 597, when Pope Gregory sent St. Augustine to work as a missionary in Kent, England. Before that, any poems and other literary forms were part of an oral tradition only.
One of the oldest written English poems, Caedmon's "Hymn," dates to between 658 and 680. Like much Old English poetry, this poem is religious. It was written by a layman named Caedmon, who later became a monk.
Although the Old English heroic epic "Beowulf" now begins many a survey course of English literature, it was unknown to English writers and scholars before the 19th century. Like much other work of its time, it concerns the famous deeds of heroes.
The Middle English literature that began to appear around the 12th century had a different character than the darker and more somber Old English literature. Writers of Middle English literature addressed a wider and more diverse audience with their popular tales of romance and adventure.
At the end of the 14th century, several of the most notable Middle English poets were writing: Geoffrey Chaucer (author of "The Canterbury Tales"), John Gower, William Langland and the anonymous poet of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."