English Language and Literature

The  Restoration  and  the  Eighteenth  Century The  period  from  1660—when  the  English  crown  was  restored  as  Charles  II  became  king —to  1800  saw  the  vast  transformation  of  English  society  and  English  politics  as  well  as significant  developments  within  English  literature.    Politically,  the  era  followed  nearly  two decades  of  civil  unrest  and  war.    The  return  of  the  monarchy  left  many  questions unanswered  in  terms  of  the  king’s  power  versus  that  of  Parliament.    While  Charles  II largely  avoided  the  conflicts  that  might  have  brought ...

The  Development  of  English  Literature  (Summary) Old  English,  Middle  English  and  Chaucer Old  English English,  as  we  know  it,  descends  from  the  language  spoken  by  the  north  Germanic  tribes  who  settled  in  England from  the  5th  century  A.D.  onwards.  They  had  no  writing  (except  runes,  used  as  charms)  until  they  learned  the  Latin alphabet  from  Roman  missionaries.  The  earliest  written  works  in  Old  English  (as  their  language  is  now  known  to scholars)  were  probably  composed  orally  at  first,  and  may  have  been  passed  on  from  speaker...