Teaching English Literature 3.

THE BEGINNINGS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE (450-1485)

3.1. CONTEXTS Old English: Anglo-Saxon Literature (450-1066) In order to understand the beginnings of English Literature it is probably a good idea to provide some historical background. Anglo-Saxon Literature was produced during the Early Middle Ages (approximately from 450 to 1066, also called "The Dark Ages") and in a type of English called Old English, which is the ancestor of contemporary English. The following events took place during those years: 4th-5th centuries: decline and fall of the Roman Empire 5th-6th centuries: Anglo-Saxon invasions (coming from nowadays Denmark-Germany). Native Britons (Celts, among them the legendary King Arthur) move west 7th century: Christianization (from Rome and from Ireland) 8th century: the 7 kingdoms (Northumbria, Mercia, Kent, East Anglia, Essex, Sussex and Wessex)

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9th century: Viking Invasions (mainly Danes who established the so-called Danelaw in North-East England)

10th century: a variety of movements towards unification and fragmentation

1066 Norman conquest (from the French Kingdom of Normandy)

The most important kind of literature produced during those years were epic poems, like Beowulf (8th-11th century), which describes the fights of the hero against monsters, warriors and dragons. They were part of an oral tradition, and in order to be remembered, they used a type of alliterative verse, with consonant rhyme (as opposed to end-rhyme). The first written texts in Old English appeared in the 9th century (previously, they had only been written in Latin) and they consisted of sermons, saints lives, biblical translations and Christian poetry. The most famous author of the times was King Alfred, who wrote translations from Latin into Old English.

Middle English Literature (1066-1485)

As far as historical background is concerned, this period (1066-1485, frequently called the Middle Ages) is dominated by the legal and social system called feudalism, in which vassals had to serve and were protected by their feudal lords. The following events are worth mentioning: - 14 -

Teaching English Literature

1066: The Battle of Hastings, which brought about the Norman domination of England. It was a period of bilingualism: Norman (a dialect of French) was used mainly by the higher classes and English (now called Middle English) was spoken by the lower classes with a great diversity of dialects and no clear standard until 1470, when the Chancery Standard (created with the first printing press) gave way to a more unified form of English. Norman French had a deep influence on English, creating French/English pairs like beef/cow or liberty/freedom. Anglo-Normans became more and more integrated with the natives until distinctions were progressively lost.

1154-1485: House of Plantagenet, with kings like Henry II and Richard the Lionheart (who took part like other European Kings in the Crusades). The Magna Carta, written in 1215, is the first document that limits the powers of the King and establishes the powers of the Parliament. The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge were also created during this period.

1337-1453: Hundred Years War (over the control of France). It was a dynastic war and marked the beginning of English and French nationalism.

Since the society revolved around the Church, religious values were always present in medieval literature but priests, monks and nuns were also frequently criticized (particularly in "Goliardic" literature). The feudal system led to chivalric values (bravery, honour, "courtly love") which were shown in chivalric literature. Allegory is also a frequent feature of literature of the Middle Ages, particularly of religious texts. Medieval literature is sometimes very contradictorybecause high ideals run together with coarse vulgarity and social criticismbut also very lively and surprising.

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 GEOFFREY

CHAUCER

(1343-1400),

diplomat and a writer, is considered the father of English Literature. He is the author of The Canterbury Tales (ap. 1386), a collection of 24 stories told by fictional pilgrims on the road to the cathedral at Canterbury. It was influenced by Boccaccios Decameron and it has realistic characters and a variety of stories, 2 of them written in prose, and 22 in verse. Medieval Romances told the chivalric adventures of a heroic knight. The best example in English Literature is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (ap. 1390), an Arthurian poem (Gawain is a knight of King Arthurs Round Table) with symbolic meanings. SIR THOMAS MALORY (14051471) wrote Le morte dArthur (1485), the most famous tale of the Arthurian legend. Piers Plowman (ap. 13601387) is an allegorical narrative poem, part theological allegory, part social satire. It tells a quest for true Christian life, and it was written by WILLIAM LANGLAND. Morality Plays are an example of allegorical theatre, where a character meets other characters representing moral attributes. The best example is Everyman (ap. 1490), which has characters like Everyman, God, Death, Beauty, or Strength. There were also Miracle Plays and Mystery Plays played in church.

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Teaching English Literature 3.2 . TEXTS. Old English. From Beowulf (8th-11th century). Notice the type of English:
I a ws on burgum Beowulf Scyldinga, leof leodcyning longe rage Now Beowulf bode in the burg of the Scyldings, leader beloved, and long he ruled

The Lords Prayer in Old English : http://www.youtube.com/user/sodada#p/u/0/MNOac4amrZ4 Middle English. From The Summoners Tale, in The Canterbury Tales (1386, Geoffrey Chaucer). Which features of medieval literature can you see in these extracts?
Original Modern English Translation This frere bosteth that he knoweth helle, This friar boasts that he knows hell, And God it woot, that it is litel wonder; And God knows that it is little wonder; Freres and feendes been but lyte asonder. Friars and fiends are seldom far apart. For, pardee, ye han ofte tyme herd telle For, by God, you have ofttimes heard tell How that a frere ravyshed was to helle How a friar was taken to hell In spirit ones by a visioun; In spirit, once by a vision; And as an angel ladde hym up and doun, And as an angel led him up and down, To shewen hym the peynes that the were, To show him the pains that were there, In al the place saugh he nat a frere; In the whole place he saw not one friar; Of oother folk he saugh ynowe in wo. He saw enough of other folk in woe. Unto this angel spak the frere tho: To the angel spoke the friar thus: Now, sire, quod he, han freres swich a grace "Now sir", said he, "Do friars have such a grace That noon of hem shal come to this place? That none of them come to this place?" Yis, quod this aungel, many a millioun! "Yes", said the angel, "many a million!" And unto sathanas he ladde hym doun. And the angel led him down to Satan. --And now hath sathanas,--seith he,--a tayl He said, "And Satan has a tail, Brodder than of a carryk is the sayl. Broader than a large ship's sail. Hold up thy tayl, thou sathanas!--quod he; Hold up your tail, Satan!" said he. --shewe forth thyn ers, and lat the frere se "Show forth your arse, and let the friar see Where is the nest of freres in this place!-Where the nest of friars is in this place!" And er that half a furlong wey of space, And before half a furlong of space, Right so as bees out swarmen from an hyve, Just as bees swarm from a hive, Out of the develes ers ther gonne dryve Out of the devil's arse there were driven Twenty thousand freres on a route, Twenty thousand friars on a rout, And thurghout helle swarmed al aboute, And throughout hell swarmed all about, And comen agayn as faste as they may gon, And came again as fast as they could go, And in his ers they crepten everychon. And every one crept back into his arse. He clapte his tayl agayn and lay ful stille. He shut his tail again and lay very still

Prologue with audio : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE0MtENfOMU Complete text : http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/gchaucer/bl-gchau-can-genpro.htm Arthurian legends -Excalibur : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOqlV4Le9Tk -Disneys The Sword and the Stone : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0XCxr3Wgok - 17 -

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