In England the development of capitalist relations is faster than in France. There is a growth of cities, the development of trade. Formed a strong bourgeoisie, there is a new nobility opposed old Norman elite which in those years still retain its leadership role. Feature of English culture of the time is the lack of a common language. Nobility (the descendants of the Normans) spoke French, peasants and townspeople spoken on numerous Anglo-Saxon dialects spoken and in the church official language was Latin. Many works issued in French. There was not a single national culture. By the middle of the XIV century Standard English is beginning to emerge based on the London dialect.
At the end of the XIV century Geoffrey Chaucer only one felt the influence of Italian Renaissance. He was contemporary of Petrarch and he still remains a writer of the Middle Ages. And only at the end of the XV century ideas of humanism in English culture occupy a strong position. Renaissance in England practically coincides with the period of Tudor (1485-1603). Of course, literature of England influenced and other countries. In the XVI century England is booming in all areas of thought and creativity.
The largest representatives of the English Renaissance literature are Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd in drama; Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser in poetry; in the novel - John Lyly, Thomas Nash; and in humanistic works - the first English humanist Thomas More.
