A Concise History of English Literature traces the evolution of British writing from its oral origins to its contemporary landscape. A lucid, accessible alternative to bulky reference histories, this volume helps students and teachers navigate the authors, movements and ideas that shaped the canon.

Key features

• Detailed overviews of the socio-historical forces and ideological shifts within each literary period.
• Comprehensive discussions on the development of genres, forms and styles through the ages.
• In-depth studies of major authors, including biographies, work summaries and analysis of stylistic features.
• An integrated timeline of literary works from England, India and across the globe, mapped alongside historical events.
• Quick reference tools: an alphabetised index of authors and a glossary of literary terms.

Padmaja Ashok draws on nearly three decades of teaching experience at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her other publications, The Social History of England and A Companion to Literary Forms, are widely prescribed by universities across India.

Preface                                                                                                   
Anglo-Saxon Age                                                                               
Middle Ages                                                                                        
Tudor Age                                                                                           
     Early Tudor Age                                                                                  
     Elizabethan Age                                                                   
Seventeenth Century                                                                         
     Early Stuarts, the Commonwealth and Protectorate                   
     Restoration                                                                                           
Eighteenth Century                                                                           
     Age of Swift and Pope                                                                        
     Age of Johnson                                                                     
     Pre-Romantics and the Romantic Revival                                                   
Victorian Age                                                                                     
Twentieth Century                                                                            
Lists of Poets Laureate and Nobel Laureates                                 
Glossary                                                                                                
Timeline