ENG 318: Survey of British Literature

This course is a general outline of English literature. It aims to provide students of English language and literature with a wide and comprehensive view of the three main literary genres in England from the old English period up to the twenty-first century. It looks at English literature within the successive periods. It outlines the main characteristics of every period, with emphasis laid on the distinctive authors of each period and brief accounts of the important work of each author.
 
The course provides a concise history of British literature from the Old English Period (600 AD) to the present day. It deals briefly with the earlier periods and more fully with the later landmark periods in the literature of Great Britain. It focuses on the prose, poetry, and drama of Great Britain within a chronological framework. Attention is focused upon the major writers of each period and genre, laying emphasis on the course of development and the leading characteristics throughout the history of British literature.