An Outline History of English Literature - Second edition - revised and enlarged

Sep 20, 2026

An Outline History of English Literature presents a scholarly, chronological account of English literary development, focusing on the Middle Ages and the evolution of literary movements and linguistic change. The text explains the arbitrariness of the “medieval” label, critiques the “in between” notion, and highlights how Middle Ages both built Western foundations and drew extensively from Antiquity. It also distinguishes Old English from Middle English and outlines subperiods, dialect diversity, and the influence of Christianity on written culture and artistic expression.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages253

Reading Time6 h 30 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Preface to the First Edition

Preface to the Second Edition

Introduction

Chapter One The Middle Ages

Chapter Two The Renaissance and the Beginning of the Seventeenth Century

Chapter Three The Puritan Age and the Restoration

Chapter Four The Age of Reason: Augustan Classicism

Chapter Five Pre-Romanticism

Chapter Six Romanticism

Chapter Seven Victorian Literature

Chapter Eight Late Victorian and Edwardian Literature

Chapter Nine Literature 1910-1945

Bibliography

Index of Terms

Index of Names

Liliana Sikorska An Outline Historyof English Literature Editor Prof.Dr.Jacek Fisiak APPEARED Jacek Fisiak,An Outline History of English.Colin Phillips,Idioms,Collocations and Word Formations.Wojciech Liponski,Narodziny cywilizacji Wysp Brytyjskich.Stanisław Puppel,A Concise Guide to Psycholinguistics.Włodzimierz Sobkowiak,English Phoneticsfor Poles. IN PREPARATION Przemysław Tajsner,Lectures on Structure and Derivation.A Course in English Syntax. An Outline HistoryOf English Literature Second edition revised and enlarged Liliana Sikorska Wy之向乙 Gzkoke yuP;读 20 LU1.2003 nr rej. 4058 n.____ a00 Redaktor Jacek Serwański Tytuł dotowany przezMinisterstwo Edukacji Narodowej i Sportu Wydanie drugie ISBN 83-7177-003-0 Copyright by Liliana Sikorska,2002 C Copyright by Wydawnictwo Poznańskie sp.z 0.0.,2002 Wydawnictwo Poznańskie sp.z 0.0.61-701 Poznań,ul.Fredry 8Dział handlowy:tel.(0-61)852-38-44fax(0-61)852-66-05 The second edition of this bookI would like to also dedicateto my past,present and future studentswho are“chained”to books. A sculpture-bench in the hall London. Contents Preface to the First Edition11Preface to the Second Edition13Introduction15Chapter OneThe Middle Ages19Old English Literature19Anglo-Saxon Prosody and Style21Courtly Poetry22Religious Poetry27Anglo-Saxon Prose30Middle English Literature33Narrative Works35Religious Poetry45Secular Poetry48Political Writings52Prose53The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower55Middle English Mystical Writers62TheLast Century of Middle English Literature64Poetry64Prose69Medieval Theatre70Chapter Two The Renaissance and the Beginning of the Seventeenth Century78Early Humanist Writing81Religious Prose83Antiquaries and Chroniclers85Miscellaneous Prose86Poetry88Early Elizabethan Lyrics9195 Edmund Spenser and His Followers The Novel352The Celtic Revival383The Poetry ofthe Thirties and Forties388Chapter TenPow-War Literature394Late Forties and Early Fifties Prose396The Novel of the Fifties402The Novel ofthe Sixties417Drama426The Angry Young Men429The Theatre of the Absurd432Oiher Dramatists440Poetry450Contemporary Prose Writers464Post-Colonial Literature500Commonwealth Fiction504Bibliography509index of Terms527index ofNames530 Drama98Metaphysical Poetry136Cavalier Poetry142Chapter Three The Puritan Age and the Restoration149Major Representatives of the Puritan Period150Diaries152Seventeenth Century Verse153Restoration Drama161Chapter Four The Age of Reason:Augustan Classicism171Prose174Poetry175The Origins of the Novel181Eighteenth Century Drama202Chapter FivePre-Romanticism208Poetry209The Gothic Novel221Chapter SixRomanticism227First Generation of Romantic Poets230Second Generation of Romantic Poets236The Novel244Drama261Essay Writers262Chapter SevenVictorian Literature265The Victorian Novel271Victorian Poetry295The Pre-Raphaelite Movement303Chapter Eight Late Victorian and Edwardian Literature308The Novel310Victorian and Edwardian Drama332Chapter NineLiterature 1910-1945339Georgian and War Poetry341The Imagists347 The Middle Ages # Old English Literature The period in English literature assigned to the Middle Ages covers about eight hun-dred years stretching from about 700 to 1500.Naturally,such a vast temporal space must beubject to diverse literary movements and influences.The term “medieval”is an arbitraryone.coming from the seventeenth century notion of the “middle”period,implying the timebetween Antiquity and the Renaissance.From its inception such a treatment of the entire cul-fural,literary and political area was harmful as in the post-medieval times it still suggestedthe "in between,"always something of a lesser quality and not quite developed,hence,infe-rior towards its predecessors and followers.Yet,the Middle Ages laid the foundation for theentire Western civilization and used as much as abused the works of Antiquity for the devel-opment of law,philosophy and literature.The

FAQs

Why is the term “medieval” considered arbitrary in the book’s explanation?

The text argues that “medieval” comes from a seventeenth-century idea of the “middle” period, implying it is “in between” and therefore lesser quality.

How does the book divide the Middle Ages for study?

Literary scholars and linguists customarily divide the period into two stages: Old English and Middle English.

What does the book say about linguistic and manuscript variation in Old English?

Old English is described as not a unified language, with manuscripts preserved in different dialects such as Kentish, West-Saxon, Mercian, and Northumbrian.

Sep 20, 2026

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