“English literature and its contexts”

The Cambridge Literature Timelines are a resource aimed at developing contextual knowledge of the literatures studied in the English Tripos. They provide a visualisation of the historical, social, political, and literary events that shape and surround the tripos papers and the texts studied for them.

What are they for?

• Starting a paper: Browse the timelines to get a broad idea of the historical and literary scope of a paper. The postcolonial and American timelines are ideal for getting a head start on the historical backdrop for Part II papers.
• Choosing a dissertation topic: Use the timelines to explore less well known authors and to make connections between papers.
• Revision: The timelines are particularly useful for Practical Criticism revision. They can fill out gaps in your contextual knowledge, put dates to names, and familiarise key authors, literary movements and groups.

Tips for using the timelines:

The Cambridge Literature Timeline

From Beowulf (c.1000) to Bob Dylan (Winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature).

American Literature 

Postcolonial Timeline 

View the other EFL timelines below: