Literary History: Chapter 2, Middle English

9/9/2014

Use this blog space to create our class's history of English Literature. For this chapter, we need overviews of the following topics: major historical issues and trends, changes to the language, prominent genres, major authors and works. For each topic, we need to define the content and explain its importance. For example, we have to know that Chaucer existed but also why we still remember him.

5 Comments

Chase O'Dell, Taylor Simmons

9/9/2014 12:10:33 am

English became Frenchified because of the Norman invasion. This, along with the influx of Danes, caused dialects, spellings, and grammer to change geographically. The printing press, in 1476, brought modern English, or "King's English", and standardized spelling. Vernacular survived in clerical culture as Latin was phased out.

Amanda Sullivan

9/9/2014 12:34:21 am

Drama (specific mode of fiction in represented in actions) - It was a way for people to relieve stress during a period of time that a lot of change was occurring.

Mystery plays (were cycles of religious dramas reformed by town guilds, craft associations of a religious kind.) Drama started within the church therefore the earliest plays are religious. Because they were religious they were saved for future reference. It also helped spread religious stories in an easy manner.

Interlude plays (a moral play offered between courses) - it was a way to debate in a light manner.

Morality plays (which showed the fate of the single human person)-morality plays didn't wane in Elizabethan era its because of this that drama survived. The audience often enjoyed it more than mystery plays because it kept you interested.

Anthony Cape and Adam Hoffman

9/9/2014 12:42:02 am

Historical Trends: scribal practices, arrival of Normans and printing press, books began to become more popular, romance and epic increased, spiritual writing was established, Bible was copied in latin, rest was translated, prose became more prominent, Julian of Norwhich-finest English spiritual writer before George Herbert, and first great writer of English prose. secular prose was non-religious, Geoffrey Chaucer- wrote Canterbury tales, he was a ironist and satirist, mystery plays, English drama was catholic in origin, morality plays of 15th 16th centuries which showed the fate of the single human person. Religious lyric came from latin songs and hymns. Hymns came in the 4th century. "Deaths of Arthur" is the oldest prose narrative that still familiar in English. Scottish poetry in late 15th century the best verse in English, part of the poetic tradition of England as well as Scotland came from there. John Barbour- 1st Scottish literature whether its language be called scottis or inglis. He was an archdeacon of Aberdeen who studied in Oxford and Paris.

Caitlin Ouzts

9/9/2014 12:47:43 am

Chapter 2 Notes- Middle English Literature, 1066-1500

General Genres

Poetry-
Like most forms of piety, these forms of poetry survived and are significant to English history because it is a record of how poetry developed.
Ricardian poetry
Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Piers Plowman
Scottish poetry

Epic and Romance-
Romance was popular during the medieval period and should be and is remembered because they are tales of chivalry that inspired the people and inspired other works of literature.
King Arthur

Lyrics
This can be broken down into two subcategories:
general lyrics (courtly love lyrics)
religious lyrics
Lyrics are important to the medieval time period and to the current, ongoing English history because they could be considered storytelling and it was keeping part of their religious customs. Religion governed many aspects of literature, thus, the clergy would have made sure it survived for future reference.

Courtly literature
Courtly literature developed to tell stories for the royals. They were stories of ancient Rome and other ancient tales. They are significant because many of the royal families attempted to model their regimes after these former rulers.

Mariah Banks & Mike Lowery

9/9/2014 01:19:58 am

Major Authors & Works

Geoffrey Chaucer-
The Canterbury Tales
He was a royal servant, a diplomat, and a poet who became well known through his works. He also traveled from England to Spain to Italy. He also wrote the Parlement of Fowls and the Romance of the Roses.

Sir Thomas Mallory
Le Morte Arthur
He was a writer who served time in jail for crimes of violence. He had spent his sentence during the Wars of Roses. He also escaped from jail twice.

William Langland
Piers Plowman
He is a married cleric who wrote the work. Piers Plowman was an important work because it influenced the Peasants' Revolt. In fact, John Bull, the revolt's leader alludes to the work. Piers Plowman also shares how people experience God in their lives.

Geoffrey of Monmouth
Historia Regum Britanniae
The work tells the history of the kings of Britain and how they are descended from Brutus. Geoffrey is also important because he helps illustrate how Britain came to be.

Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
It is an example of an English romance which includes knights, obstacles, and themes such as chivalry and the quest. The author of this work is unknown. "Patience," "Cleanness," and "Pearl" are the parts of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Julian of Norwich
She is a spiritual writer.

Robert Henryson
He wrote the Testament of Cresseid. It deals with medieval divinity and morality.

Literary History: Chapter 2, Middle English

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