India  

English literature

Literature written in the English language

English literature    ▸ Facts   ▸ Comments   ▸ News   ▸ Videos   

English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the fifth century, are called Old English. Beowulf is the most famous work in Old English. Despite being set in Scandinavia, it has achieved national epic status in England. However, following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the written form of the Anglo-Saxon language became less common. Under the influence of the new aristocracy, French became the standard language of courts, parliament, and polite society. The English spoken after the Normans came is known as Middle English. This form of English lasted until the 1470s, when the Chancery Standard, a London-based form of English, became widespread. Geoffrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales, was a significant figure developing the legitimacy of vernacular Middle English at a time when the dominant literary languages in England were still French and Latin. The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439 also helped to standardise the language, as did the King James Bible (1611), and the Great Vowel Shift.

0
shares
ShareTweetSavePostSend
 
Prince Harry’s Cousin Rosie Roche Found Dead at 20 | Gun Found Near Body in Royal Family Tragedy [Video]

Prince Harry’s Cousin Rosie Roche Found Dead at 20 | Gun Found Near Body in Royal Family Tragedy

Rosie Jeanne Burke Roche, a 20-year-old distant cousin of Prince William and Prince Harry, was found dead on July 14, 2025, at her family home in Norton. A firearm was discovered near her body, and..

Credit: Oneindia     Duration: 04:11Published

You Might Like

No news matches found

Sorry, we were unable to find any results in our database for your query


Free news archive access


Did you know?
You are eligible to search our news archive with millions of news references free of charge.

To do this, please sign in first at the top of the screen.

Information about free access to our news archive


Search this site and the web:


Free news archive