Born at a time when serious poetry was produced across the Channel, Chaucer would live to put the English language on the literary map. He began with the spoken word, pioneering the use of English in the royal court in a time when French was the tongue of choice. In the transition to writing, Chaucer

Charming, Funny, Gritty, Medieval fiction, Medieval poetry, Playful, Whimsical, Witty

All around the globe, dog-eared paperbacks sit on nightstands waiting to postpone their readers' rest. From the salacious to the literary, novels entertain and inspire with plots to follow and characters to root for. Though we take that dog-eared paperback for granted in the twenty-first century, suc

Charming, Epic, Medieval fiction, Pioneering, Sprawling

At a time when marriage was society's end-all for women, Jane Austen refused quite a few proposals. In spite of financial need, this country pastor's daughter not only stayed single but wrote about it in her artfully constructed comedies of manners. Her novels show an uncanny aptitude for subtle but

18th century literature, Charming, Clean, Feminist, Pathos, Witty

16th century (renaissance) literature, Charming, Enigmatic, Joyful, Playful, Visceral, Voluminous