Lecture 1 : Anglo-Saxon verse form & Beowulf.

Middle English Literature

6th centur!
spreading of Christianity
Canterbury = the centre of the Catholic Church in England
pagan mythology supplanted by Christian myths
"th centur!
#aedmon - Christian poet; retelling/paraphrasing biblical stories
his only known surviving work is Cdmon's Hymn ( lines! = praise poem in honour
of "od
$th - %th centur!
#newulf - introducing new literary form = legend
stories inspired by the lives of saints
&ing Alfred - th century; many reforms
translated #atin books into English
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - an early history of the country
$ritain%s population: Celts & $ritons ' (omans ' "ermanic invaders ' )nglo-
*a+ons (warriors , pre-eminent position in society!
BE'()L*
first epic in the -ld English
warrior%s story; . /// lines; not composed in England but on the continent of Europe
events related to the story , 0th , 1th c2; story influenced by 3orthern European
legends
written probably in the 4/th century5 author = unknown (oral narratives!
struggle between "ood and Evil
only one manuscript
6he 7ing of 8anes builds a great hall-building (9eorot! to memorialise his triumphant career2
6he 8anes warriors meet there and celebrate2 -ne night5 a terrible creature living in lake
("rendel! comes and eats ./ men and drinks their blood2 "rendel terrori:es the warriors for
4; winters2 <inally5 a brave young man5 $eowulf5 from southern *weden comes to bring
peace for the country2 )fter a fight with "rendel5 the monster dies2 $ut his mother comes to
revenge her son2 $eowulf kills her as well and becomes the king of his people2 #ater on5 he is
delivered a fatal wound by a guardina dragon and so the poem ends with his funeral2
1 Beowulf
$ritain%s population: Celts & $ritons ' (omans ' "ermanic invaders ' )nglo-
*a+ons (=th century; warriors , pre-eminent position in society!
Anglo-Saxons! their arrival marks the beginnings of English literature
pagans - having their own mythology
e2g2 >oden - god of victory / >oden?s day = >ednesday
6iw - god of war / 6iw?s day = 6uesday
<reya - goddess of love @ fertility / <reya?s day = <riday
6hor - god of thunder / 6hor?s day = 6hursday
Eostra - goddess of spring / = Easter
BE'()L*
first epic in the -ld English
warrior%s story; . /// lines; not composed in England but on the continent of Europe
events related to the story , 0th , 1th c2; story influenced by 3orthern European
legends
written probably in the 4/th century5 author = unknown (oral narratives!
struggle between "ood and Evil
only one manuscript
; parts: 4st part = set in 8enmark; ;nd part = set in southern *weden (=/ years later!
$eowulf = real historical figure (legend!
no rhyme
alliteration
metaphorical compound words: ship = sea wood; fog = air helmet; sea = the ocean-
way or the swan?s way
A#-6
6he 7ing of 8anes builds a great hall-building (9eorot! to memorialise his triumphant career2
6he 8anes warriors meet there and celebrate2 -ne night5 a terrible creature living in lake
("rendel! comes and eats ./ men and drinks their blood2 "rendel terrori:es the warriors for
4; winters2 <inally5 a brave young man5 $eowulf5 from southern *weden comes to bring
peace for the country2 )fter a fight with "rendel5 the monster dies2 $ut his mother comes to
revenge her son2 $eowulf kills her as well and becomes the king of his people2 #ater on5 he is
delivered a fatal wound by a guarding dragon and so the poem ends with his funeral2
Middle English Literature +11 , 1-th centur.
/E'**0E1 #2A)#E0! +13435 , 1466.
often called Bthe father of English poetryC = the first poet to use English; his poetry
was therefore accessible to everyone
son of a prosperous #ondon wine merchant , very well educated; clerk5 diplomat5
soldier; travelled a lot
Troilus and Criseyde , tragic love story of the 6roDan
Arince 6roilus; more than E/// lines;
psychologically comple+ characters
The Legend of Good Women , a dream vision
The House of Fame The !oo" of #he $uchess
3 Middle English Literature +11 , 1-th centur.
14th centur!
one central language 7 Middle English
133" - 14-3! 8he 2undred 1ears9 (ar - rise of national consciousness
the Blac: ;eath 7 one of the deadliest <andemics in human histor
=nd half of the 14th centur - develo<ment of literature
/E'**0E1 #2A)#E0
+13435 , 1466.
often called >the father of English <oetr? 7 the first <oet to use English@ his
<oetr accessiAle to everone
son of a <ros<erous London wine merchant , ver well educated@ cler:B di<lomatB
soldier@ travelled a lot
a <artici<ant in im<ortant di<lomatic missions
('0&!
8roilus and #risede! tragic love stor of the 8roCan Drince 8roilus@ more than
$666 lines@ <schologicall com<lex characters
8he Legend of /ood (omen , a dream vision
8he 2ouse of *ame
8he Boo: of the ;uchess
82E #AE8E0B)01 8ALES!
collection of stories set within a framing story of a pilgrimage to Canterbury (going to
the shrine of *t 6homas F $ecket! , ; pilgrims
"eneral Arologue: introduction of the setting: they start in 6abbard Gnn5 it is )pril
(symboli:es rebirth of nature! @ descriptions of characters (physiognomy5 clothes5
personal Hualities , some of them have names = individuals5 most of them are
nameless = they represent the whole social class they come from!
a microcosm of 4Ith-century English society: aristocracy (7night , ideali:ed
portrayal!5 middle clas (tradesmen5 craftsmen , merchant5 carpenter5 haberdasher!5
ecclesiastics (3un , a prioress5 priests5 Jonk!5 lower class (Jiller!
clergy , described ambiguously5 both positive and negative portrayals: e2g2 friar
(e+ploits people! vs2 parson (ideali:ed portrayal! / monk (does not behave like a
typical monk5 prefers hunting to praying but the narrator seems to like him!
narrator , enigmatic5 no name5 no class5 no details5 4
st
person narration
plan: each pilgrim tells ; stories on the way to Canterbury and ; on the way back
;; tales (& ; unfinished!; more than 4E /// lines of poetry
different genres: fabliau (6he Jiller%s 6ale5 6he (eeve%s 6ale!
romance (6he 7night%s 6ale!
religious / Christian (6he Jan of #aw%s 6ale!
written in heroic couplet: iambic pentameter; aa/bb
Lecture =! 0enaissance and 0eformation
1-th centur!
the coming of print , the English press produced books in English5 for general readers;
not #atin like before
Ca+ton ' established a press at >estminster
did not like religious te+ts5 instead: chivalric-romantic books , The Golden Legend =
cyclopaedia of sacred legend and instruction; a blend of religion and entertainment
printers influences the development / course of $ritish literature because they decided
what will be printed
0enaissance
a golden age of English literature: 4IE= , 400/
humanism , study of the literature of classical antiHuity
dissemination of the cultivated5 clear5 and sensible attitude of its classically educated
adherents5 who reDected medieval theological misteachings and superstition
0enaissance Doetr!
Sir Dhilli< Sidne
As#ro%hel and S#ella: ideali:ation of the beloved
perception of the good5 the true and the beautiful
highly metaphorical style of the Gtalian sonnet
Edmund S<enser
Faerie &ueen , 0 books in -line stan:a form (*penserian!:
E decasyllabic lines5 4 line of 4; syllables; rhyme )$)$C$CC
marriage of )rthur5 who is a combination of all the virtues5 and "loriana5 who is the
ideal form of womanhood and the embodiment of Kueen Eli:abeth
poet as the inspired voice of "od revealing e+amples of morally perfect actions in an
aesthetically ideal world
Fohn ;onne
metaphysical poets , verse: less beautiful and less musical5 unusual images to attract
attention; mi+ing strong feelings with reason
Benn Fonson
classically pure and restrained style
Fohn Milton
epic poem 'aradise Los# , machinations of *atan leading to the fall of )dam and Eve
from the state of innocence
central Christian truths of freedom5 sin5 and redemption
8he develo<ment of sonnets
origin in 4.th century Gtaly
first English sonnets written by *ir 6homas >yatt and 9enry 9oward5 known as Earl
of *urrey
4I-line poem with a formal rhyme scheme5 usually in iambic pentameter in English
8<es of sonnets!
Gtalian +Detrarchan. , octave (abba abba! & sestet (cde cde!
octave presents a narrative5 sestet responds
English +Sha:es<earan. , . Huatrians & a couplet
abab cdcd efef gg
S<enserian , Huite rare5 complicates the *hakespearan form by linking rhymes in the
Huatrians
abab bcbc cdcd ee
0eformation
early 40th century
Jartin #uther defied the authority of the Church
Church leaders deprived of the monopoly on learning
9enry LGGG , e+communicated; established an independent )nglican Church = end of
pope%s political and religious authority in England
national languages @ literature advanced by the wide dissemination of religious
literature written in vernacular languages
The !oo" of Common 'rayer
(nglish !i)le , the greatest monument of the (eformation in England
number of tracts5 treatises5 sermons5 books of devotion