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The Old English Period The Middle Ages

The Old English Period The Middle Ages. Important Dates. 43-420 Roman invasion and occupation of Britain 450 Anglo Saxon Conquest 1066 Norman Conquest 1200 Beginning of Middle English literature 1485 Caxton’s printing of Malory. The Middle Ages.

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The Old English Period The Middle Ages

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  1. The Old English PeriodThe Middle Ages

  2. Important Dates • 43-420 Roman invasion and occupation of Britain • 450 Anglo Saxon Conquest • 1066 Norman Conquest • 1200 Beginning of Middle English literature • 1485 Caxton’s printing of Malory

  3. The Middle Ages • Covers time span from collapse of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance • Time period of more than 800 years • 1485 end of the Middle Ages

  4. A Time of Change • Roman Catholic Church provided continuity • Norman Conquest added French words to the English vocabulary • Cross-currents of languages and literatures during this period • Literature in English was performed orally,and written throughout the Middle Ages, but uniquely English literature does not exist before the late 14th century. • English began to displace French at the end of the 14th century in Parliament and courts of law.

  5. Anglo-Saxon England • From 1st to 5th century, England was province of Roman Empire • Named Britannia • When the Romans withdrew during the fifth century, island was invaded by Germanic seafarers • These belonged to three tribes: the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes.

  6. Conversion to Christianity • Britons became Christian in the fourth century • In 597, a Benedictine monk was sent by Pope Gregory as a missionary to King Ethelbert of Kent and missionaries from Ireland became to preach Christianity in the north. • Within 75 years, the island was Christian. • The first extended written specimen of Old English (Anglo-Saxon) language is a code of laws. • England produced many distinguished Churchmen, including Bede. • ,

  7. Invasions by the Danes • In the 9th century, Christian Anglo-Saxons were subjected to invasions by the Danes. • They were stopped by King Alfred. • King Alfred was an enthusiastic patron of literature.

  8. Old English Poetry • Oral tradition • Literacy was restricted to men of the church • Most of Old English literature is religious • Most of Old English poetry is contained in just four manuscripts.

  9. Heroic Values • Heroic values of Germanic society continued to inspire clergy and laity in the Christian era. • Heroic Values - Tribe is ruled by king who surrounds himself with a band of retainers. He leads men to battle and rewards them with gifts and treasures. Retainers are obligated to fight for their lord to the death • Blood vengeance is a sacred duty. • The best poetry of the period is both Christian and heroic.

  10. Characteristics of Old English Poetry • Harsh world view • Formal speech • Elevated language • Irony • Contrast Pagan and Christian • Fate • The Past • Violence • Values of warrior society

  11. Anglo-Norman England • The Normans took possession of England in 1066 • They adopted French language and Christian religion • Henry II, first of England’s Plantagenet kings

  12. Languages • During the Anglo-Norman period, four languages co-existed: Latin, French, English, and Celtic. • The Latin Bible provided subject for Old English poetry and prose • Attraction to Celtic legends • Marie de France and Chrétien de Troyes wrote romances • King Arthur and his court acquired immense popularity • Romance involves a knight proving his worthiness through nobility of character and brave deeds • Religious literature aimed at women – saints’ lives, The Ancrene Riwle.

  13. Middle English Literature in the 14th Century • Old English replaces French in literature • Thirty Year’s War • The bubonic plague wiped out one-third of European population • A time of social unrest • Church becomes target of resentment because of its wealth and worldliness • Great European poets of the 14th century include Dante, Petrarch, Marie de France, and Boccoccio • English writers of the 14th century include Chaucer, William Langland, the Pearl poet, and the author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

  14. The Fifteenth Century • War of the Roses between Lancasters and Yorks ended with King Henry VII’s ascension to the throne • Performances of mystery plays and morality plays • Mystical writings – Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe • Lydgate • Malory • Caxton’s printing press introduced in 1476. Caxton’s publication of Malory’s Morte Darthur.

  15. Middle English Literature • Religious literature • Popular literature • Romance • King Arthur • Allegory • Morality • Authors looked at themselves as craftsmen • No emphasis on originality • Ptolemaic view of the universe – earth centered • Gothic Church as symbol of Middle Ages – height and light

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