An Outline of British Literary HistoryEarly and Medieval English Literature1. Beowulf, epic in old Briton2. Romance3. Ballads4. Geoffrey Chaucer, the founder of English poetry, “The Canterbury Tales”The English Renaissance (16thfirst half of 17th)1. Characteristic of Renaissance: 1) a thirsting curiosity for the classical literature; 2) keen interest in the activities of humanity (humanism)2. Thomas More, the greatest of the English humanists, “Utopia”3. Poets in this period:
