The document summarizes several major literary periods in English literature, including the Old English period from 600-1066 CE featuring Beowulf, the Middle English period from 1100-1470 CE influenced by the Renaissance and featuring Geoffrey Chaucer, the Elizabethan era from 1558-1603 CE being a flourishing period for drama including the works of Shakespeare, and the Victorian era from 1832-1901 CE known for social conservatism and the works of authors like the Brontë sisters and Dickens. It also outlines the Modernist period from the 1890s-1940s CE known for experimentation and authors like T.S. Eliot and James Joyce, the Postmodernist period from 1945 to present featuring

1. Part 3
Literary Periods in English Literature
Objectives:
By the end of this part, you will be able to:
1. To list the main literary periods and in the west.
2. To identify the historical setting of each period.
3. To name the main figures in each period.
Activities:
Online Activities for this part:
1. Quiz-3 Main Literary Periods
2. Assign-2 Victorian literature
3. Wiki-1 Key Figures
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2. Part (3(:
Literary Periods in English Literature
1. Old English Period
2. Middle English Period
3. Elizabethan era
4. Victorian era
5. Modernist Period
6. Postmodernist Period
7. Postcolonial Period
Old English Period
Middle English Period
Elizabethan era
Victorian era
Modernist Period
Postmodernist Period
•Postcolonial Period
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3. Old English Period
Old English period (c. 600–1066) is the oldest literary period in English
literature. It is called the Anglo-Saxon period and the form of language used is
called “old English” or “Anglo-Saxon”. It ended with the Norman conquest of
England. Major writers are not known, but Beowulf is considered the most
famous work of the period.
Middle English Period
Middle English period (c. 1100–1470) is an early literary period in English
literature. The form of language used is called “middle English”. It witnessed
the influence of Renaissance in England. Major writer is Geoffrey Chaucer.
The Elizabethan era
Elizabethan era (c. 1558–1603) is a major literary period in English
literature. It is a flourishing period in English literature, particularly drama, that
coincided with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Major writers are Francis
Bacon, Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Sir Philip
Sidney, and Edmund Spenser.
The Victorian era
Victorian era (c. 1832–1901) is a major literary period in English literature. It
refers to the period of English history between the passage of the first Reform
Bill (1832) and the death of Queen Victoria (reigned 1837–1901). It is
remembered for strict social, political, and sexual conservatism and frequent
clashes between religion and science. This period also saw prolific literary
activity and significant social reform and criticism. Major writers are Brontë
sisters, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Matthew Arnold; Robert Browning,
Lord Alfred Tennyson, and Christina Rossetti.
Modernist Period
Modernist period (1890s–1940s) is a major literary period and movement in
English literature. It is a literary and artistic movement that provided radical
breaks with traditional modes of Western art, thought, religion, social
conventions, and morality. Major themes of this period include the attack on
notions of hierarchy and experimentation in new forms of narrative, such
as stream of consciousness. Major writers are T. S. Eliot (1888-1965), D. H.
Lawrence (1885-1930) Ezra Pound (1885 – 1972) and James Joyce (1882-
1941).
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4. Postmodernist Period
Postmodernist period (c. 1945–present) is a major literary period and
movement in English literature. It can be seen as a response to the elitism of
high modernism as well as to the horrors of World War II. Postmodern literature
is characterized by a disjointed, fragmented pastiche of high and low culture
that reflects the absence of tradition and structure in a world driven by
technology and consumerism. Major writers are Julian Barnes, Don DeLillo,
Toni Morrison, Vladimir Nabokov, Thomas Pynchon, Salman Rushdie, and
Kurt.
Postcolonial Period
Postcolonial period (c. 1950s–present) is a major literary period and
movement in English literature. It refers to the literature by and about people
from former European colonies, primarily in Africa, Asia, South America, and
the Caribbean. This literature aims both to expand the traditional canon of
Western literature and to challenge Eurocentric assumptions about literature,
especially through examination of questions of otherness, identity, and race.
Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) provided an important theoretical basis for
understanding postcolonial literature. Major writers are Achebe Chinua, V. S.
Naipaul, and Salman Rushdie.
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