Old english literature
Beowulf, a typical example of Old English poetry, is regarded today as the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons. However, the hero and the setting of Beowulf have nothing to do with England, for the story took place in Scandinavia.
Beowulf describes the exploits of a Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, in fighting against the monster Grendel, his revengeful mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. In these sequences Beowulf is shown not only as a glorious hero but also as a protector of the people.
Thematically the poem presents a vivid picture of how the primitive people wage heroic struggles against the hostile forces of natural world under a wise and mighty leader. The poem is an example of the mingling of nature myths and heroic legends.

Medieval English literature
Starting with the Norman Conquest.
In the early part of the period, from 1066 to the mid-14th century, it was almost a barren period in literary creation.
In the second half of the period, in the second half of the 14th century, English literature started to flourish with the appearance of writers like Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, John Gower, and others.
Middle English literature strongly reflects the principles of the medieval Christian doctrine, which were primarily concerned with the issue of personal salvation.
Romance which uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventure or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the medieval.
Characteristic medieval motifs of the quest, the test, the meeting with the evil giant and the encounter with the beautiful beloved.
The hero knight hero sets out on a journey to accomplish some missions – to protect the church, to attack infidelity, to rescue a maiden, to meet a challenge, or to obey a knightly command.
The author of Sir Gawain and the green knight is the one who produced the best romance of the period;(诗人佚名，大家叫他 the pearl poet, 《纯洁篇》、《忍耐篇》和《高文爵士与绿衣骑士》。这四部作品出于同一抄手，方言相同，时代相同（14世纪中叶以后），都有一定的艺术造诣，在细节的描写上更有许多相似之处，因此研究者都认为出自同一作者，但没有充分证据。四部作品的题目是后人所加，其中以《珍珠篇》和《高文爵士与绿衣骑士》艺术价值最高。)
William Langland is a more realistic writer who dealt with the religious and social issues of his day in Piers Plowman.(农夫皮尔斯)
It is Chaucer alone who, for the first time in English literature, presented to us a comprehensive realistic picture of the English society of his time and created a whole gallery of vivid characters from all walks of life in his masterpiece The Canterbury Tales(坎特伯雷故事集)
Geoffrey Chaucer is the greatest writer of this period.
Chaucer introduced from France the rhymed stanzas of various types to English poetry to replace the old English alliterative verse.
In The Romaunt of the Rose, he first introduced into English the octosyllabic couplet.
In The Legend of Good Women, he used for the first time in English the rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter which is to be called later the heroic couplet.
In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer employed the heroic couplet with true ease and charm for the first time in the history of English literature.
John Dryden, who modernized several of The Canterbury Tales, called Chaucer the father of English poetry

The Renaissance Period
A translation from medieval to modern world
The period between 14th and mid-17th centuries
It first started in Italy, with the flowering of painting, sculpture and literature. From Italy the movement went to embrace the rest of Europe.