English Literature in the Old English and Middle E.docx

1、English Literature in the Old English and Middle EEnglish Literature in the Old English and Middle English Periods (from the 5th century to 1400)Major pointsA Brief Introduction to English LiteratureEnglish Literature in the Old English and Middle English periods (500-1400)English Literature in the

2、Old English or Anglo-Saxon period (from the 5th century to 1066)English Literature in the Middle English or Anglo-Norman period (1066-1400)I. A Brief Introduction to English LiteratureEnglish Literature in the Old English and Middle English periods (from the 5th century to 1400)English literature in

3、 the Old English or Anglo-Saxon period (from the 5th century to 1066)English literature in the Middle English or Anglo-Norman period (1066-1400)English literature in the Pre-Elizabethan Period (from 1400 to 1557)English Literature in the Elizabethan period (1558-1625)English literature in the first

4、stage (1557-1579)English literature in the second stage (1580-1599)English literature in the third stage (1599-1625)English Literature in the Middle and Late 17th Century Metaphysical poetry Other major poets: John Milton, John Dryden and John BunyanEnglish Literature in the 18th Century Poetry, pro

5、se and fiction in the early 18th century Fiction in the middle and late 18th century Drama in the 18th century Neo-classicism and Pre-Romanticism in the middle and late 18th centuryEnglish Literature in the 19th Century English literature in the early 19th century English literature in the mid-19th

6、century English literature in the late 19th century English Literature in the 20th Century English poetry, fiction and drama before 1945 English poetry, fiction and drama since 1945II. English Literature in the Old English and Middle English Periods (500-1400) Major points:Oral literatureFolk litera

7、ture and religious literatureAlliterative epic and BeowulfRomances and Sir Gawain and the Green KnightWilliam Langland and Piers the PloumanGeoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury TalesBritons / Romans / Normans:The Stonehenge (1400-1800 BC) as one sign of the British civilization, one of the oldest in

8、the world.The Celts as the first inhabitants of the British Isles.The Britons, one of the Celtic tribes, came to the British Isles in the 5th century BC, staying for some 500 years, and called the place “Britain” which means “the land of the Britons.”The Roman soldiers of Julius Caesar conquered the

9、 Britons in about 55 BC.The Anglo-Saxons, one the Germanic tribes, conquered the Britons and Romans in the 5th century and stayed until 1066. Anglo-Saxon became English and “Britain” became “England.”The French-speaking Normans conquered England in 1066 and the Old English period (Anglo-Saxon period

10、) ended and the Middle English period (Anglo-Norman period) began.A. English Literature in the Old English or Anglo-Saxon period (500-1066)Major points:BeowulfMajor featuresBeowulf The earliest literature of the English people, like that of many other peoples, originated from the collective efforts

11、of the people, usually when they were working or resting from their labors. Stories based on history or legend or contemporary events were narrated orally and often sung during festivities and other occasions, chiefly for entertainment. Some of the more interesting of these narratives were passed fr

12、om mouth to mouth and from generation to generation, and as they were told and sung by different singers at different times, additions were made to them or deletions were taken from them. The most monumental literary work in English literature in the Old English or Anglo-Saxon period (from the 5th c

13、entury to 1066) is Beowulf. It is the only important single poem handed down in the written form and is preserved intact. Probably existing in oral form in the 6th century, it is believed to have been written in the 7th or 8th century although its manuscript extant now can be dated back to the 10th

14、century. Composed of 3183 lines of alliterative verse (Alliteration, also known as “head rhyme” or “initial rhyme,” is a verse form which means the repetition of the same sounds, usu. initial consonants of words or of stressed syllables in any sequence of neighboring words, e.g. “lord of language.”

15、Alliterative verse is a verse in which the chief principle of repetition is alliteration rather than rhyme), it is the longest of the early English poems preserved today.Beowulf is an epic, telling the story of Beowulf, a national hero, who went to fight against the enemies in defense of his country

16、. (An epic is a long narrative poem celebrating the great deeds of one or more legendary heroes in a grand ceremonious style, who was usu. protected or descended from gods, performed supernatural exploits in battle or in marvelous voyages in saving or founding a nation). Its major themes, among othe

17、rs, are religious belief, heroism, and honor, as can be seen in the following remarks:“It is better for a man to avenge his friend than to refresh his sorrow. As we must all expect to leave out life on this earth, we must earn some renown, if we can, before death; daring is the thing for a fighting

18、man to be remembered by” (LL133-1388). (Beowulfs words)“Our strife had ended at its very beginning if God had not saved me” (LL1658-1659) (Hrothgars words)“Every mans action was under the sway of Gods judgment” (LL2858-2859) (the narrators words)“Death is better for any earl than an existence of dis

19、grace!” (LL2890-2891) (Wiglafs words)Major Features of English literature in the Old English period:1) Most of English literature in the Old English period existed in oral form;2) The most important literary form of English literature in the Old English period is the epic;3) Alliteration is the basi

20、c verse form in English literature in the Old English period;4) The only work in written form in the Old English period is Beowulf, whose major feature is the use of alliteration.B. English Literature in the Middle English or Anglo-Norman period (1066-1400)Major points:Folk literatureReligious liter

21、atureRomance (the bulk of literature of this period) and Sir Gawain and the Green KnightWilliam Langland (1332-1400) and Piers the PloumanGeoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) and The Canterbury TalesRomanceDefinition: A romance is a verse narrative that sings of knightly adventures or other heroic deeds, an

22、d usu. emphasizes the chivalric love of the Middle Ages Europe.Themes: “The Matter of Britain:” Romances which deal with the Arthurian legend (6th century, a semi-legendary king of the Britons and national hero who may originally have been some Romano-British war leader in the west of England called

23、 Arthurus, but is represented as having united the British tribes against the invading Saxons, and as having been the champion not only of his people but of Christendom as well.) “The Matter of France:” Romances which tell stories concerning Charlemagne (747-814, king of the Franks and Christian emp

24、eror of the west) and his knights “The Matter of Rose:” Romances which are tales of antiquity from the Trojan War (the ten-year war waged against Troy by the Greeks in order to get back King Menelaus wife, Helen, who had been abducted by Paris, king of Troy) to the feats of Alexander the Great (356-

25、323 B.C.)Form: Although most of the English romances of this period were metrical, meter and rhyme being adopted from French poetry to take the place of alliteration in Anglo-Saxon poetry, in the early 14th century, however, there was a curious revival of alliterative verse in a number of romances w

26、ritten in the West Midland dialect of Middle English.Representative works: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Anonymously written in 1360-1370, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the most outstanding single romance on the Arthurian legend. Consisting of four sections, it is mainly concerned with the te

27、sts of faith, courage and purity, and the human weakness for self-preservation - all of them are traits of chivalric romances.C. English Literature in the Second Half of the 14th CenturyBackground Although romances were still written in the second half of the 14th century to celebrate the knightly d

28、eeds of the past, chivalry was rapidly losing its glamour. The early flowering of the Renaissance, which began first in Italy in the 14th century, soon spread to France and by the end of the 14th century the writings of (Francesco Petrarca) Petrarch (1304-74, poet and scholar) and (Giovanni) Boccacc

29、io (1313-75, writer) already started to exert their influence on many English writers. Superstition prevalent through the Middle Ages was beginning to lose ground in the minds of the people with the gradual dawning of science in Europe. The second half of the 14th century marked the deterioration an

30、d decline of feudalism in England and the great economic and political changes had their impact on literature, and English literature flourished after three centuries of comparative lull.Major writers and their works1. John Wycliff (1324?-1384): John Wycliff has made some contribution to English lit

31、erature by taking the responsibility for the earliest translation of the entire Bible from Latin into English.2. John Gower (1330-1405): John Gower is known for three works written in three different languages: “Speculum Meditantis” or “Mirour de lOmme” in French (“The Mirror of Mankind:” a religiou

32、s allegory in three parts on the sins of man) (1376-1379); “Vox Clamantis” in Latin (“The Voice of Clamants:” a poem attacking the peasants rising of 1381) (c. 1382); and “Confessio Amantis” in English (“A Lovers Confession:” a long poem illustrating the seven deadly sins) (1390-1393).3. William Langland (1332-1400): William Langland is well remembered for his work, Piers the Plouman, (which he began probably in 1362 and was preoccupied in his last t