0The Germanic tribes arrived in Britain around 600 A. D. The three main tribes. - the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes - occupied different regions in Britain after defeating the inhabitants, the Celts. The country was given the name 'England' (land of the Angles). The new language of the Angles was called English.
There are three periods in the history of English literature - the Old English period, the Middle English period and the Modern English period.
Literature in the Anglo-Saxon or Old English period was recorded in manuscripts. Poetry attained more importance than prose. The oldest extant poem is 'Beowulf', and it is the first epic in English poetry.
