English literature
English literature can mean:- Literature from England written in the modern English language or its antecedents (such as Middle or Old English). (The rest of this article discusses this meaning.)
- Literature composed primarily in the English language, from any nation; see articles on specific national literatures, such as
- Irish literature
- Anglo-Welsh literature
- American literature
- Scottish literature
- Indian literature in English
- Pakistani literature in English
- Caribbean literature in English
- Canadian literature in English
- Australian literature
- The academic study of literature in English: see English studies.
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English literature emerges as a recognisable entity only in the medieval period, when the English language itself becomes distinct from the Norman and Anglo-Saxon dialects which preceded it. See also the article Old English poetry. The first great figure in English literature is the poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, whose Canterbury Tales was a popular work of the period which is still read today.
Following the introduction of a printing press into the country by William Caxton in 1476, the Elizabethan era saw a great flourishing of the literature, especially in the field of drama, with William Shakespeare standing out as a poet and playwright, the quality of whose output has yet to be surpassed.
The English novel did not become a popular form until the 18th century. Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719) is sometimes claimed erroneously to be the first novel in English.
The following two centuries continued a huge outpouring of literary production, including novels, poetry, and drama, all of which remain strong in the present-day English literary culture.
For information on the English language prior to the 16th century, see Middle English and Old English.Genres
Genres of English literature include:History