Middle English

The Middle English Period continues where Old English left off - the stories told are similar, but the language continues to develop and change due to the political atmosphere at the time. 

The period spans 1066 - 1500. The beginning of the period is so precise because this is the date of the Norman invasion, which means the increasing importance of the French language in England. It was the language of the court and official texts, and this influence also affected the English spoken. 

People were still interested in stories which taught them how to give a good life, hence the popularity of allegory (e.g. the seven deadly sins). There were also the Arthurian legends (metrical romances).

However, two of the texts which have stood the test of time are Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. 

Here is a link to the full text of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (several different versions) - it still remains a popular text and a good example of Middle English literature. The site also has extensive information about the literature and history of the period.  

http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/gawaintx.htm

This is a link to Chaucer's text - a work celebrated for the diversity of character and speech/dialect, and is seen as providing a detailed cross-section of the society of the time. 

http://www.canterburytales.org/canterbury_tales.html

One of the significant events which hailed the end of the Middle English Period, was the arrival of the printing press to England. William Caxton and his machine forever changed how literature was distributed and made it much easier for people to have access to books.