Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 39 views

    Middle English Literature

    Uploaded by

    Jennifer Lacdao
    The Norman invasion in 1066 introduced French as the language of the ruling class in England, while English continued among common people. Over the next few centuries, English gradually regained prestige and became dominant again, aided by losses of French territories and the Hundred Years' War. Literature in Middle English emerged in the late 14th century, led by Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the "father of English poetry" for popularizing the London dialect of English in works like The Canterbury Tales. Other major Middle English works included Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and religious texts such as translations of the Bible.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Middle English Literature

    Uploaded by

    Jennifer Lacdao
    39 views24 pages
    The Norman invasion in 1066 introduced French as the language of the ruling class in England, while English continued among common people. Over the next few centuries, English gradually regained prestige and became dominant again, aided by losses of French territories and the Hundred Years' War. Literature in Middle English emerged in the late 14th century, led by Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the "father of English poetry" for popularizing the London dialect of English in works like The Canterbury Tales. Other major Middle English works included Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and religious texts such as translations of the Bible.

    Original Title

    MIDDLE-ENGLISH-LITERATURE

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The Norman invasion in 1066 introduced French as the language of the ruling class in England, while English continued among common people. Over the next few centuries, English gradually regained prestige and became dominant again, aided by losses of French territories and the Hundred Years' War. Literature in Middle English emerged in the late 14th century, led by Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the "father of English poetry" for popularizing the London dialect of English in works like The Canterbury Tales. Other major Middle English works included Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and religious texts such as translations of the Bible.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    39 views24 pages

    Middle English Literature

    Uploaded by

    Jennifer Lacdao
    The Norman invasion in 1066 introduced French as the language of the ruling class in England, while English continued among common people. Over the next few centuries, English gradually regained prestige and became dominant again, aided by losses of French territories and the Hundred Years' War. Literature in Middle English emerged in the late 14th century, led by Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the "father of English poetry" for popularizing the London dialect of English in works like The Canterbury Tales. Other major Middle English works included Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and religious texts such as translations of the Bible.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 24

    MIDDLE ENGLISH

    PERIOD
    1100 - 1500
    The Norman Invasion and the
    English Language
    • In 1066 the Normans invaded England, and the
    French of Normandy , together with Latin, was to
    become the language of court , religion and
    science
    • English was still used by the common people, but
    there was no literature written in it for 200 years.
    • However, this situation of the ruling class
    speaking one language, and their subordinated
    the other, could not last long The Normans had to
    learn some English in order to communicate.
    Norman kings set off to the Crusades in the 12th
    century, so they had to persuade people to go
    there.
    • 100 years after the invasion the descendants of
    Norman knights spoke French which was
    unintelligible by the French people.

    • In the 13th century, England lost control of its


    French territory and the Norman nobility had to
    declare allegiance either to France or to
    England. Many of them chose England, because
    they were born there
    • During the late 13th and in the 14th century,
    English was making a comeback. The moods
    towards France was becoming more and more
    hostile: it wasn’t seen as a mother country, but
    as a dangerous rival. Although French and Latin
    were still languages of prestige, English was
    becoming the language of communication, even
    among the nobility.
    • The Hundred Years’ War with France (mid-14th-
    mid 15th cent.) marked the definite decline of
    French and the rise of English as a chief
    language.
    Literature in Middle English
    • What we now call Middle English appears after
    the great silence of 200 years, in the 2nd half of
    14th century.

    • Prior to that time , vernacular (not in Latin)


    literature consisted primary of religious
    writings. The second half of 14th century
    produced the first great age of secular (not
    religious) literature.
    Geoffrey Chaucer
    • The best representative is Geoffrey Chaucer,
    ‘the father of English poetry’. By making a
    conscious choice to write in English, he
    symbolizes the rebirth of English as a national
    language. His works also helped the London
    dialect of English become standard.

    • We can read and understand Chaucer ’s English


    fairly well - this shows how much the language
    had changed.
    ‘The Canterbury
    Tales’
    • Chaucer ’s most famous work is ‘The Canterbury
    Tales’ (about 1387), a long poem , or a collection of
    stories in verse. And it is real verse - another
    novelty. The rhyme has taken place of Old English
    alliteration.
    • The story is about a party of pilgrims, the poet
    among them, travelling to Canterbury to visit the
    grave of Thomas a Becket. To pass the time, they
    agree to tell tales. In those tales we get to know
    the characters themselves. They come from every
    class of the society of the time, from the nobility,
    members of the church, merchants and craftsmen
    to peasants.
    • What is new and refreshing about Chaucer ’s work
    is that the character are seen as real people,
    having both good and bad sides. Although he
    often makes ironic comments, and sometimes
    may appear unsympathetic, the poet has, on the
    whole, a positive attitude towards the characters
    and a belief in the good in the world.
    Other Middle English Poetry
    • On the other hand, the old alliterative verse was
    still in use in Chaucer’s time. Poems such as
    William Langland’s ‘The vision of Piers the
    Plowman’, ‘Sir Gawain and the Greece Knight’ and
    ‘Pearl’ (anonymous) were writing in it.
    Middle English Prose
    • John Wycliffe -
    translation of the
    whole Bible into
    English
    • Sir Thomas Malory -
    ‘Morte D’Arthur’
    (Arthur’s DEath), 8
    tales of Arthur and his
    knights (mid-15th
    cent.) This work is
    important because 8
    tales are structurally
    connected and
    reminiscent of a novel
    Malory was no artist,
    but he was talented
    and wrote well.
    • His characters are people
    of flesh and blood, often
    betraying the virtues they
    stand for. His language is
    close to the spoken
    language, bit also poetic
    and full of feeling. This was
    the first also poetic and
    full of feeling. This was the
    first attempt to organize a
    story into a single narrative.
    • William Caxton set up the
    first English printing press
    in 1476. He printed works
    of Chaucer and Malory,
    and also books from other
    countries translated by
    himself into excellent
    English prose. Major
    influence on the spread of
    learning and knowledge, a
    ‘communications
    revolution’.
    • For the history of english
    and its spelling, Caxton’s
    decision to reproduce the
    language of London and
    the South-East is crucial.
    This dialect was to
    b e c o m e standard.
    Middle English Drama
    • Miracle or Mystery Plays - Biblical motives
    • Morality Plays - Virtues and vices
    • Interludes - Often humorous
    • Origins of Elizabethan (Renaissance drama)

    You might also like