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Brief Overview of English Literature

English Literature as an art consists more than a period of Six centuries approximately. Often we start reading it from the period of Chaucer but seeds of English language started to be sowed with the coming of ‘Saxons’ to England in 450 AD.

The History of English Language

The history of English Language started with the Normans (originally a Germanic Tribe) who had settled in Normandy in the north of France, and had adopted a modified French language and culture. As a result of the conquest, the refinement of French culture came to be introduced into England exerted a powerful and formative influence on its language and literature. The Norman rulers looked down upon the English as a barbarous and backward people, and despised the rude taste of their language that lacked the elegance and grace of French. Naturally under their rule French had to be the language of the Court and the Government, and those among the conquered people who had dealings with the Government thought it prudent to learn French in addition to their own language. The Conquest also tended to bring the native population together as never before, and the several dialects spoken in the different parts of the country were gradually assimilated to form a common language. English which was basically the Midland dialect, became common among people.