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ANGLO-SAXON LITERATURE & THE EPIC POEM
TIMELINE 2000 B.C.—Invaders from Iberian peninsula invaded cave dwelling
people Create a sophisticated society Stonehenge
600 B.C.—Celts reach the British Isles Built walled farms and hut villages Separate Celtic tribes each with own King fought each other
55 B.C.—Rome tries to conquer Britain Dominating Mediterranean world Julius Caesar
43 A.D—Rome conquers Britain Claudius 300 years Turned Britain into a prosperous colony
Meeting Halls, law courts, amphitheaters
TIMELINE
449—invasion of Germanic Tribes: Angles, Saxons, Jutes take over southeastern part of England—call it “Angle-land” Tribal communities ruled by warrior Kings
596—missionaries attempt to convert Anglo-Saxons to Christianity
650—most of England is Christian 787—Danish invasion of England
Danes and Norsemen try to win Britain By 800, most of England had fallen to invaders
878 Alfred, Saxon king of Wessex led warriors to victory over the
Danes in Battle of Edington Son and grandson won back all of England from Danes
TIMELINE 1066—King Edward dies
Duke of Normandy laid claim to English throne British council appoints Harold II as King Duke of Normandy attacks and defeats Anglo-
Saxons (Battle of Hastings) Results in England’s first Norman King, William I
(William the Conqueror) Results in influence of French culture Feudalism/Chivalry
Feudalism—land was given to lords who supported the French king. These lords granted land to vassals in exchange for military duty
Chivalry Knights strove to be honorable, generous, brave, skillful in
battle, respectful to women, and helpful to the weak.
TIMELINE CONTINUED
1300s—Black death wipes out 1/3 of England’s population
1455—War of the Roses: civil wars between House of Lancaster and House of York in England
FOOD & FASHION
15th century noble women wore pointed headdresses Men wore hoods called liripipes with long pointed
backs
Rich people passed laws allowing common people and servants to only wear cheap cloth clothing
Social status determined what food you ate Wealthy—richer, fattening foods: red meat, gravy Common People—veggies, high fiber products Everyone ate bread
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Manuscripts decorated in bright colors and real gold
Knights provided sport and entertainment by performing in tournaments
People enjoyed watching jugglers, storytellers, musicians
LITERATURE
Songs and Poems Few people could read Listed to songs, poems, stories, sermons Clergy and traveling minstrels created a great body of oral literature
Stained Glass Windows In cathedrals—presented Bible stories and moral lessons to educate
those who could not read Theology
Schools spread across Europe along with interest in reason and Greek philosophy
700 Possible composition of Beowulf—oldest known epic poem in English
892 Year by year diary of important World events
LANGUAGE
Early stages—mostly spoken rather than written
Latin was eventually written 1066—French influence
English people spoke and wrote in French 1476—William Caxton
Sets up a wooden printing press after traveling to Germany to learn about printing process
Many forms of English were being used in England He chose which form and began to print--
STANDARDIZATION
LANGUAGE CONTINUED
Old English (450-1150) Language of Celtic people and language of
invading Germanic tribes Only a few words today are Anglo-Saxon:
to, and, for French and Latin influence French was language of upper class: No
king of England spoke Old English as his native language between 1066-1300s
LANGUAGE CONTINUED
Middle English (1150-1500) During this time one part of England could
not understand people in a different part Characterized by simple grammar Fixed word order developed Addition of new words Standardization of language
EPIC POEM
Definition Long narrative poem on a great and serious subject and centered on a heroic or quasi-divine figure on whose actions depends the fate of a tribe, a nation, or the human race
EPIC CONVENTIONS
Hero is of national importance; ideal man of culture
Setting is a vast scope; great geographical distances
Action consists of superhuman courage Supernatural forces intervene at times Style of writing is ceremonial Main characters have extended, formal
speeches
POETIC/LITERARY DEVICES IN EPIC POETRY Foil: someone or something that serves as a contrast
to the other Batman and The Joker
Alliteration: the repetition of an initial consonant sound in a poetic line “The sound of the harp, and the scop’s sweet song…” (line
60). Kenning: two words that employs figurative language
in place of a concrete single noun Whale-road= ocean
Epithet: a word or brief phrase often used to characterize a particular person, place, or thing Spear-Danes= Danish people
Caesura: a break in the middle of a poetic line “Fierce and furious, launched attack” (Line 81).