History and origin of English literature

The origin of English literature dates back to the Middle Ages, where it began to be written
in the British Isles from the Anglo-Saxon dialect, which, later, would receive the name of
-old English-. However, as happened in other parts of the world, it begins with oral
transmission more than with that of properly written texts, where works that contain stories
and epic legends that were told and known of the time are preserved until today.

With the Norman conquest, an invasion of England that took place in the 11th century by
Normans, Flemings, French and Bretons, a process that was led by Duke William II of
Normandy or William the Conqueror, in addition to the subsequent independence, the
French language exercised a great importance within common use, influencing what had
developed as Old English, so that its combination will give rise to the English known today.
During this time, content that approached courtly love began to strengthen, as well as
romances, which were written in prose and verse.

The invention of the printing press, as it happened in other areas of the world, was
decisive for the development of literature, since upon arrival in England it would allow the
flourishing of vernacular literature, as well as being of vital importance for the Protestant
Reformation and the humanism. These conditions guide part of the content of a large part
of literary works. Thus, came the rise of English literature with authors such as Christopher
Marlowe, Thomas Wyatt, Francis Beaumont, Thomas Dekker and of course William
Shakespeare.

Despite this, this stage would not last long, since the cromwellian era, exercised by the
religious fanatic of Protestant Christianity Oliver Cromwell, the literature will give an
account of the new hostile political conditions that will be experienced at the time, from
authors such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, who became the main philosophical
figures of the time, where their works were loaded with opinions and ideological
perspectives.

Development of English literature

Literary development can be identified from the following divisions:

Anglo-Saxon literature: it consists of the first stage of the evolution of English literature, a
time that bases its productions on oral tradition, so epic poetry will be of great importance
and will take a large part of its content. It is related to the current Norwegian language, as
well as the Icelandic language. During this time, the first writing that appears is of a
religious nature, permeated by the war poems.

Literature after the Norman Conquest: During this time, French began to influence English
culture, especially within the lower social classes, generating changes in the Old English
lexicon and grammar. At this time, the idealized courtly love also appears, which
generates the interest of authors who begin to write in the Romance language, such as
Chaucer. In addition to this, themes related to King Arthur's court will also appear
frequently in works.

Elizabethan literature: with the arrival of the printing press, introduced by William Caxton,
the literature of the Renaissance also directed a special interest towards human behavior,
a theme that will appear in several of the works, coming from the Italian influence, while in
the medieval times the themes revolve around religion. It is at this time or Elizabethan era
that English literature flourishes with the theater, at which time figures such as William
Shakespeare begin to be recognized, who becomes one of the most important authors.

Characteristics of English literature

Among the main features of English literature we find the following:

Topics: a particularity of English literature is directly related to the variety of topics that
their works covered throughout history, because although like other areas they will work
and explore different environments, in English literature these topics take vital importance
to the time of literary production. These themes are: passion, history, politics, religion,
theater and drama. That is why many of its authors will make compositions in different
genres simultaneously, responding to the interests of the initial period, especially.
External influence: one of the most determining aspects of English literature has to do with
the influences it receives, since it comes into contact with both Italian literature and French
literature. Despite being influenced by foreign concepts, he manages to build and preserve
his own style that will allow him to become one of the main references in world literature.

Old English: undoubtedly Old English, linked and influenced by different cultures and
languages, will also have an impact on modern English, which will also generate a series
of poetic productions that will be governed by the poetic tradition of the time .

Political content: especially during the restorative period, English literature presents many
of his works with obvious political concepts, this even in the production of works with
simple and modern characteristics.

Main genres: although English literature, due to its contact with the literature movements
of the continent, will play with important styles and genres, within it theater and drama
stand out mainly as main genres of artistic production. However, with the passage of time,
English literature will be characterized by the strength of poetic and fictional works.

Most important works and authors

Among the highest representatives of English literature we find names of authors who
have become references of universal literature with important productions. Among them
we find authors like William Shakespeare with works such as "Romeo and Juliet",
"Macbeth", "King Lear", among others. There is also Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde with
"The Picture of Dorian Gray", J.K. Rowling, as well as representatives of Restoration
literature such as William Wycherley, John Bunyan, John Milton, George Gordon Byron,
among many others.

As for modern and postmodern literature, we can find authors such as D.H Lawrence,
Virginia Woolf, Agatha Christie, P.G Wodehouse, Julian Barnes, John Fowles, Salman
Rushdie, Andrew Motion, Martin Amis, Ian McEwan, among others.
To learn more about other areas of the world that are decisive for universal literature, we
invite you to review our section dedicated to this artistic field, where you will find much
more information about its history, movements, genres, authors and more.