1.TopicCulture and literature in Medieval England

The culture and literature of the middle Ages:

Old English Literature: British literature started as Anglo-Saxon literature Middle English Literature: refers to the language, which was spoken (e.g.

Shakespeare) 440-1100 – Anglo Saxon period 1100-1500 – Middle English period (Normans)

The Anglo Saxon Period

Old English: it was a complicated language, used by all sorts of dialects, literature started orally (poems, epics)

Germanic view (because of the German origin): very pessimistic, the view of the world: risky, short...poems are mystical.

Norman Period

French origins: it picked up many French customs the Normans assimilated into the English language 3 basic things concerning the Norman literature that changed the Anglo Saxon

literature: 1.clearly written language (“clearity”)-> easy to understand 2. Humour and entertaining features -> become one of the most important features (e.g. Chaucer) 3. The verse form changed -> no rhyme (later Chaucer proved that English is not a rough, ugly language, it can have rhythm)

These features changed the Anglo-Saxon literature.

Cultural Developments of the Norman period

Everybody had one name(Christian name),the surname came with the Normans (because the word has French origins)

The Normans were more religious than the Saxons: they built cathedrals (37 one) and London became the centre of the world concerning art.

Royal Court: art became a very important element learning and sciences: Oxford (oldest university) legally established by the Royal

Court-> this gave the basis of literature Church: they had to get rid of it,because ot controlled the cultural life

(monasteries),it had also the land(feudalism) -> so the church become very rich 3 official language: French,English,Latin

-French: language of administration,fashion,culture,literature,Royal Court -English: language of everyday life(that’s the reason it survived) -Latin: language of the Church

Medieval Period

1100-1350: Anglo-Norman period: the cultural, literary and social life become dominated by the Normans

1350-1500: Chaucer’s period or Real Middle English Period.

The Knights poetry

They become very famous, they represented the English identity. They were ideals. They usually appeared in metrical romance stories: story in French, it became the

most popular genre. *Definition: A narrative of heroic adventure,usually a series of episodes not closely related to each other. -Features : *characters are types *knights are heroic and they’re there to save a lovely lady *there is always a quest *unacknowledged offspring searching for the Holy Grail or his throne *unknown element,which makes the story go on *Christian references (e.g. Robin Hood,Three Musketeers) *courtly romance: the knight and the lovely lady have a brief relationship,but they have to separate,there’s a beautifule departure,they leave each other and go back to their marriage

These basic English literature features made literature popular.

The King Arthur legend

The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians.

The legendary Arthur developed as a figure of international interest largely through the popularity of Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative 12th-century “History of the Kings of Britain”.

Robert Wace, an Anglo-Norman poet wrote a poem in French about King Arthur,the round table and Norman castles. -> it was later translated by Layman ( the 1st poet who ever wrote about King Arthur in English)

Other poems about King Arthur:1. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” – by an unknown poet, called Pearl

Poet(late 14th century)Story: alliterative romance outlining the adventures of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the tale, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green. The "Green Knight" offers to allow anyone to strike him with his axe if the challenger will take a return blow in a year and a day. Gawain accepts, and beheads him in one blow, only to have the Green Knight stand up, pick up his head, and remind Gawain to meet him at the appointed time. The story of Gawain's struggle to meet the appointment and his adventures along the way demonstrate the spirit of chivalry and loyalty. - The poem is a combination of old English verse and the new French

rhyming poetry. 2. “Le Morte d ‘Arthur” by Sir Thomas Malory (1475)

- It was the English man doing printing: published in 1485 by William Caxton.

- It is the 1st prose work in English, using every day, simple language.

Starting of the Age of Chaucer

French started to be pushed out by English literature The English language became clearer, grammar too, it was more understandable. A poem from that period:

“The Owl and the Nightingale” by unknown- It is a 12th or 13th century Middle English poem detailing a debate between an owl and a nightingale.-The story: The narrator overhears a quarrel between a serious owl and a gay nightingale during a summer night. When the owl is about to lose her temper and physically threatens her opponent. The poem is not finished: the two birds go to a man a certain Nicholas of Guildford living in Portesham, to be judged on a verbal contest.Both birds use every device of medieval rhetoric to prove that they are of the highest use to mankind. During the debate they touch upon nearly every topic of contemporary interest: fore-knowledge, music, confession, papal missions, ethics and morals, happy marriage and adultery, and so on.

*The nightingale represent a rebel, who enjoys life, while the owl represent an ascetic life ,like church.*What kind of life to live: *owl says: you have to be pessimistic, sad..it is better during the night. *nightingale says: you have to be funny and happy, and during the day is much better.*This poem shows the weakening of the Church..*Language of the poem: it is easy, short lines, funny, understandable by everyone*The poem symbolizes the state of that period.