Life & Literature In: The Medieval Period

Life & Literature
in
The Medieval Period
What was
it like to
live in the
Middle
Ages?
The 3 Estates in the Middle Ages
• The idea of estates, or orders,
was encouraged during the
Middle Ages:
– Clergy
• Latin chiefly spoken, those who
pray, purpose was to save
everyone’s soul
– Nobles
• French chiefly spoken, those who
fight, purpose was to protect—
allow for all to work in peace—
and provide justice
– Commoners
• English spoken, those who work,
purpose was to feed and clothe all
above them
The Church
• Provided guidance through
well known precepts..
– Seven Deadly Sins
• Pride
• Greed
• Wrath
• Envy
• Gluttony
• Sloth
• Lust
The “High” Middle Ages
(begin 1095)
• Begin with the First Crusade (1095)--reclaim

Jerusalem from the infidels
– Open trade routes
– Peasants (the vassals) are liberated from their
lords to fight, and die, in the Holy Lands
– Cities spring up along the crusade routes
– Feudalism dies out
– the transition to the Renaissance begins
With the Crusades comes
The Black Death
• spreads along trade routes
• kills much of the population
• the plague outbreaks occur
through the Middle Ages and
into the Renaissance
• Paradoxically, the Plague provides

for continued growth in cities
– Afterwards, hundreds of new jobs
available
– Many debts “died off” with
creditors
• also contributed to society’s culture
Enough already!
I thought this was an English class!
Literature
During the
Medieval
Period
Languages
• Latin was the language of the Roman
Catholic Church, which dominated Europe
• The Church was the only source of
education
• Thus, Latin was a common language for
Medieval writings. [The commoners
couldn’t read anyway – they’d have heard
the stories passed down orally.]
Characteristics of Medieval Literature
• Romance
– A narrative in prose or verse that tells of the high
adventures and heroic exploits of chivalric heroes
• Tells of exploits of knights
• often a supernatural element involved
• Christian message
– concern with salvation and the world to come
– no interest in social change, only spiritual change
• This was true until the late 14th century
• Geffrey Chaucer and Dante Alighieri signal new thinking,
try up-ending social order
Characteristics of Medieval Literature
• Heroism
– from both Germanic and Christian traditions, sometimes mingled
• Beowulf
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
• Song of Roland
• The Nieblungenlied
• Presentations of idealized behavior
– literature as moral lesson
• loyalty to king
• chivalry
• use of kennings
– A figurative, usually compound expression used in place of a name or
noun. Example, storm of swords is a kenning for battle.
Conventions of Medieval Romance
Medieval Romances:
• Are set in a mystical place
and time (the Dark Ages)
• Have a hero who is on a
noble adventure or quest
• Include elements of
courtly love
• Embody ideals of chivalry
• Time frame of a year and
a day
Chivalric Code and Introduction
to Courtly Love
• Chivalry is from the French word, chevalier,

meaning horseman, or knight. *
• The Code of Chivalry influenced the formation of
religious military orders during the period of the
Crusades.
• Chivalry had become a system of manners for the
knights and a source of entertainment during
tournaments.
Chivalric Code and Introduction
to Courtly Love
The chivalric code:
• Temperance, Fortitude,
Prudence and Justice
• Faith, Hope, Charity
• Valor and strength in
battle
• Loyalty to God and King
• Courtesy towards enemies
• Generosity towards the
sick, women, widows and
the oppressed
• Courtly Love*
The Ideal of Courtly Love
• This relationship was modeled on the
feudal relationship between a knight and
his liege lord.
• The knight serves his courtly lady with
the same obedience and loyalty which he
owes to his liege lord.
• She is in complete control; he owes her
obedience and submission
• The lady is typically older, married, and
higher social.
because she was modeled on the wife of
the feudal lord, who might naturally
become the focus of the young,
unmarried knights' desire.
The Quest
• In addition to the
theme of Courtly
Love, the Quest
was highly
important to
medieval
romance.
The Quest, cont’d
• A quest is a hero’s journey towards a goal. The
objects of quests require great effort on the part of
the hero, and the overcoming of many obstacles
• The hero's must obtain something, or someone, by
the quest and with this object return home.
The Quest, cont’d
• Usually, an inner and outer problem for the
character is set.
• The hero lacks something, has a tragic flaw, or a
deep wound
• This new perception may create a moment of
clarity
• It may also be an epiphany for the hero’s
companions
• Excuses are used to avoid the call
The Medieval Hero
Is often of divine descent endowed with
great strength and ability or "a man
admired for his achievements and
noble qualities"
(Sound familiar?!?!?)
• Archetype:
A character who represents a certain type of
person. For example, Daniel Boone is an
archetype of the early American
frontiersman.
• Alliteration occurs when the initial
sounds of a word, beginning either with a
consonant or a vowel, are repeated in
close succession.
• Motif A theme, character type, image,
metaphor, or other verbal element that
recurs throughout a single work of
literature or occurs in a number of
different works over a period of time.
A Brief Character List by Type
THE GOOD THE BAD

• The Hero • Doppelganger
• The Mother (can • The Monster
also be evil) • The Trickster
• The Sage • Outlaw/destroyer
• The Scapegoat or • The Rebel
sacrificial lamb • The Tyrant
• The Star-crossed • The
lovers
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of the many stories that focuses on
the other knights of the round table. This story comes at a time of piece,
after the Round table has been established and Arthur is happily married to
Guinevere.
• Important to note: Gawain is Arthur's Nephew, son of a sibling of
Guinevere.
Archetypes
• Definition: a reoccuring character type, setting, or action
that is recognizable across literature and cultures that elicits
a certain feeling or reaction from the reader.
• These characters draw on typical human experiences.
• They should cause an emotional reaction in the audience
provide a kind of clue to their future actions or motivations
– Think for a moment of the typical super hero movie. You expect
certain things to happen and you expect to see certain types of
characters (i.e. an arch enemy, that the hero will triumph etc).

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Life & Literature

• Begin with the First Crusade (1095)--reclaim

• Paradoxically, the Plague provides

• Chivalry is from the French word, chevalier,

THE GOOD THE BAD

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