British literature

British literature is literature from the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The largest part of this literature is written in the English language, but there are also separate literatures in the Welsh language, Scottish Gaelic, Scots and other languages. Northern Ireland is the only part of Ireland still part of the United Kingdom and it possesses literature in English, Ulster Scots and Irish. Irish writers have also played an important part in the development of English-language literature.

Old English literature

Main Article: Anglo-Saxon literature

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The earliest form of the English language developed after the settlement of the Saxons and other Germanic tribes in England after the withdrawal of the Romans and is known as Old English or Anglo-Saxon. The most famous work in Old English is the epic poem Beowulf. (The oldest surviving text in English is Caedmon's hymn of creation.) The precise date of the manuscript is debated, but most estimates place it close to AD 1000.

Related Topics:
English language - Saxons - Old English - Anglo-Saxon - Beowulf - Caedmon

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Chronicles contained a range of historical and literary accounts, for example: Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum by Bede and The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Related Topics:
Chronicle - Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum - Bede - The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

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