Contents // Introduction vii // 1 The Beginnings of English: Old and Middle English // 600-1485 1 // 2 The Renaissance 1485-1649 21 // 3 The Commonwealth and Restoration 1649-1713 55 // 4 Augustan to Gothic 1713-89 77 // 5 The Romantic Age 1789-1832 103 // 6 The Victorian Period 1832-1900 125 // 7 The Twentieth Century to 1939 159 // 8 The Contemporary Period: 1939 to Today 195 // Important Events 235 // Extra Words 241 // Cultural Terms 243 // Literary Terms 250 // Author Index 258