Literary study involves not only the reading of books and the consideration of them on abstract aesthetic grounds, but also a study of the outward manifestations of the spirit of the ages. For better understanding and better study, many historians have categorised the entire History of English literature in certain periods. Yes they may vary in terms of dates, names and periods. The following list follows the widespread practice of listing:
| Time Span | Period Name |
| 450-1066 A.D. | Old English (O.E) or Anglo-Saxon Period |
| 1066-1350 A.D. | Anglo-Norman Period |
| 1350-1400 A.D. | The Age of Chaucer |
| 1066-1500 A.D. | Middle English Period |
| 1500-1600 A.D. | The Renaissance or the Early Modern Period |
| 1558-1603 A.D. | The Elizabethan Age |
| 1603-1625 A.D. | The Jacobean Age |
| 1625-1649 A.D. | The Caroline Age |
| 1649-1660 A.D. | The Commonwealth Age |
| 1620-1660 A.D. | The Puritan Age or The Age of Milton |
| 1600-1785 A.D. | The Neo-classical Period |
| 1660-1700 A.D. | The Restoration Period or The Age of Dryden |
| 1700-1750 A.D. | The Age of Pope |
| 1700-1745 A.D. | The Augustan Age or The Classic Age |
| 1745-1783 A.D. | The Age of Sensibility |
| 1740-1800 A.D. | The Age of Transition |
| 1785-1830 A.D. or 1800-1850 A.D. | The Romantic Period |
| 1832-1901 A.D. | The Victorian Period |
| 1848-1860 A.D. | The Pre-Raphaelites |
| 1880-1901 A.D. | Aestheticism and Decadence |
| 1901-1910 A.D. | The Edwardian Period |
| 1910-1914 A.D. | The Georgian Period |
| 1914-1945 A.D. or 1890-Onwards | The Modern Period |
| 1945- Present Day | The Post Modern Period |
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