This is an attempt to write a history of English literature admittedly with an innovative approach. The traditional as well as the more modern views in the West on literary movements， schools， traditions and influences in the field of English literature and on individual English authors and their major and minor works are here given due respect and serious consideration， but with the reservation sometimes to differ and occasionally to introduce new and totally contrary judgments from the viewpoint of historical materialism i.e.， the writers and their writings are to be given their proper places in each case in accordance with the roles， healthful or otherwise， that they play in the progress of history， social and literary. Of course，whether or how far have I succeeded in these pages in living up to the theory advanced above awaits judgment from my readers.

Chapter Ⅰ ENGLISH LITERATURE OF THE ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD

1．The Historical Background

2．“Beowulf” the National Epic of the Anglo-Saxons

3．Minor Anglo-Saxon Poetry：Caedmon and Cynewulf

4．Anglo-Saxon Prose： Bede；Alfred； “The Anglo Saxon Chronicle”；Aelfric

Chapter Ⅱ ENGLISH LITERATURE OF THE LATE MIDDLE AGES

Section Ⅰ English Literature from the Mid-11th Century to the Mid-14th

1．The Background： Political and Social

2．Folk Literature and Religious Literature from the Mid-11th to the Mid-14th Century

3．Early Alliterative and Metrical Romances in the 12th， 13th and Early 14th Centuries

Section Ⅱ English Literatuire of the Second Half of the 14th Century

1．The Background：Political and Social

2．John Wycliffe； John Gower；William Langland

3．Geoffrey Chaucer

Section Ⅲ English Literature of the Fifteenth Century

1．The Background：Political and Social

2．The English and Scottish Popular Ballads： “Robin Hood Ballads”

3．Early English Drama： Folk Drama； The Mystery Plays； The Miracle Plays； The Morality Plays

4．The English Chaucerians； Early Scottish Poetry and the Scottish Chaucerians

5．English Prose of the 15th Century： Sir Thomas Malory and His "Le Morte d'Arthur"

Chapter Ⅲ ENGLISH LITERATURE OF THE RENAISSANCE

Section Ⅰ The Historical Background： Economic， Political and Cultural

1．The Renaissance in Europe

2．Stages and Trends of English Literature of the Renaissance

Section Ⅱ English Literature of the Early 16th Century

1 The Oxford Reformers；Thomas More

2．Court Poetry： Skelton； Wyatt and Surrey

3．Morality Plays and Interludes of the 16th Century：David Lyndsay；John Heywood

Section Ⅲ English Literature of the Second Half of the 16th Century．

1．Court Poetry：Philip Sidney； Edmund Spenser

2．Prose Fiction： Lyly， Lodge， Greene， Sidney， Nashe，Deloney

3．Pre-Shakespearean Drama： English Drama under Classical Influence；University

Wits：Lyly， Peele，Lodge， Nashe， Greene， Kyd and Marlowe Section Ⅳ Shakespeare

1．Shakespeare's Life and Literary Career

2．Shakespeare's Poems and Sonnets

3．Early Period of Shakespeare's Plays： History Plays

Most of the English romances of the time were metrical， metreand rhyme having been adopted from French poetry to take the placeof alliteration in Anglo-Saxon poetry， but in early 14th centurythere was a curious revival of alliterative verse in a number of romanceswritten in the West Midland dialect of Middle English：

 The legend of King Arthur and his Round Table knights wasthe most popular theme employed. The origins of the Arthurianlegend are very complicated and even confusing because there was anArthur as a historical figure（"dux bellorum"， i.e.， "the leader of thewars"） of the Celts in a series of 12 battles to repulse the invading Anglo-Saxons； then there was another Arthur as a mythological figure appear-ing chiefly in Welsh literature as a king of fairy-land， who undertakeshazardous quests， slays monsters， visits the realms ofthe dead and hasa number of knightly henchmen； and finally there was an Arthur as alegendary hero-reported by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Latin "His-toria Regum Britanniae" （1137）. In this last book the main frameworkof the now commonly known Arthurian legend is sketched， beginningfrom the prophecies of Merlin and the birth of Arthur， through hismarriage with Guanhumara （Guenevere） and his various conquestsand knightly adventures， to the treachery of his nephew Mordredand his battlewith the latter， and finally to Mordred's defeat andGuen-eyere turniaglnun and Arthur himself mortally wounded and carriedto Avalon. Geoffrey of Monmouth's hook was translated by morethan one writer into French and then Layamoa， a bumble priest on thebanks of the Severn， told the Arthurian story for the first time in Englishin his alliterative poem with occasional rhymes， "Brut'" （1205）. Inthe meantime，， inthe late 12th and early 13th centuries the Arthurianlegend became very popular on the European Continent， particularlyin France and Germany， as it was retold with elaborations by German poets Wolfram yon Eschenbach and Gottfried von Strassburg andFrench poets Marie de .