The term English literature can mean:
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Genres of English literature parallel several of the genres of literature in general, and include:
English literature emerged as a recognisable entity only in the medieval period, when the English language itself became distinct from the Norman and Anglo-Saxon dialects which preceded it. See also the article Old English poetry. The first great identifiable individual in English literature, the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, wrote the Canterbury Tales, a popular work of the period which readers still enjoy today.
Following the introduction of a printing press into the England by William Caxton in 1476, the Elizabethan era saw a great flourishing of literature, especially in the field of drama. William Shakespeare stands out in this period as a poet and playwright as yet unsurpassed.
The English novel did not become a popular form until the 18th century. Some readers suggest (erroneously) that Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719) claims a place as the first novel in English.
The following two centuries continued a huge outpouring of literary production, including novels, poetry, and drama, all of which forms remain strong in the present-day English literary culture.
For information on the English language prior to the 16th century, see Middle English and Old English.