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1、Historical backgroundBefore 410 A.D., Britain had been a Roman province. After the fall of the Roman Empire (410 A.D.), the aboriginal Celtic population was conquered by the Teutonic Tribes of Angles, Saxons and Jutes who named the central part of Albion Anglia, or England.About 449 Jutes left Denma
2、rk, landed in the Isle of Thanet. And Angles and Saxons followed.Angles, an important Teutonic tribe furnished their new home England. The dialects gradually grew into a single language called Anglo-Saxon, or Old English.1. The literature of this period is divided into pagan literature and Christian
3、 literature. (The former represent poetry and in form of oral sagas; the later represents the writings developed under teaching of the monks.)2. The poetry was copied by the monks and has the religious coloring.3. Most works can not find its scribe.4. Famous poets of the time :a. Caedmon, the father
4、 of English song, is the first known religious poet of England. He wrote a poetic Paraphrase of the bibleb. Cynewulf produced the didactic poem The Christc. Alfred the Great (848-901) wrote The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. This book records the main happenings of the Anglo-Saxon period. It is the best mo
5、nument of the Old English prose.King Alfred the Great pictured in a stained glass window in the West Window of the South Transept of Bristol CathedralI. Religious poetryIt was represented by Cynewulf and Caedmon, who was the first Anglo-Saxon poet and the first known religious poet of England, known
6、 as the “father of English song.II. Pagan poetryBeowulf is the representative of the Anglo-Saxon literature. It was regarded as the national epic of the English people, which was a folk legend brought to England by Anglo-Saxons from Northern Europe, passed from mouth to mouth for hundreds of years b
7、efore written down in the10th century, which was the most important work of the Old English literature.The Song of Beowulf was discovered in 1705. It reflects events which took place approximately at the beginning of the 6th century.The epic consists of 3182 lines and is to be divided into two parts
8、.This poem shows how the primitive people fight against the forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader. 1) Beowulfs fight with the monster Grendel in Hrothgars hall; 2) Beowulfs slaying of Grendels mother in her lair ; 3) Beowulfs return to his uncle, and his succession to the throne
9、; 4) Beowulfs victory in death, fifty years later, over the fire dragon. Beowulf: nephew of Hygelac Hygelac: king of Geats in Jutland Hrothgar: king of the Danes 1) A pagan poem, the whole poem presents us an all-round picture of the tribal society and Christian culture. 2) The use of the strong str
10、ess and the predominance of consonants. Each line is divided into two halves, and each half has two heavy stresses.3) The use of the alliteration is another notable feature. 4) The use of metaphors and understatements. Eg: sea- the whale-road or the swan road; soldiers-shield-men; chieftains- the tr
11、easure keepers; human-body-the bone- house; God -wonder-wielder; monster-soul-destroyer. 1. Anglo-Saxon literature is almost a verse literature in oral form. It could be passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. Its creators for the most part are unknown. It was only given a writte
12、n form long after its composition. 2. There are two groups of English poetry in Anglo-Saxon periodpagan and religious poetry. 3. In the 8th century, Anglo-Saxon prose appeared. The famous prose writers of that period were Venerable Bede and Alfred the Great. Alliteration: a repeated initial consonan
13、t to successive words. E.g. 1.To his kin the kindest, keenest for praise. 2.Sing a song of southern singer.Epic: It is, originally, an oral narrative poem, majestic both in theme and style. Epics deal with legendary or historical events of national or universal significance, involving action of broa
14、d sweep and grandeur. Typically, an epic includes several features: 1)the introduction of supernatural forces that shape the action; 2)conflict in the form of battles or other physical forces combat; 3)stylistic conventions such as an invocation to the Muse, 4)set speeches couched in elevated langua
15、ge. They summarize and express the nature or ideals of an entire nation at a significant or crucial period of its history. E.g.: Iliad ?伊利亚特?，Odyssey?奥德赛? Paradise Lost ?失乐园?，The Divine Comedy?神曲?。 Ballad: a ballad is a narrative poem consisting of quatrains of iambic tetrameter alternating with iam
16、bic trimeter. Common traits of the ballad are:1) the beginning is often abrupt;2) the story is told through dialogue and action;3) the language is simple or folksy;4) the theme is often tragicthough comic ballads do exist;5) the ballad contains a refrain repeated several times.The ballad become popu
17、lar in the late 14th century and was adopted by many writers.Romance: Romance was the most prevailing kind of literature of the upper class in feudal England in the Medieval Ages. It is a long composition in verse or in prose which describes the life and chivalric adventures of a noble hero.The cent
18、ral character of romances is the knight, a man of noble birth skilled in the use of weapons.Some romances also deal with legendary, supernatural, or amorous subjects and characters.According to national themes or “matters, the great majority of the romances fall into groups or cycles,as the “matters
19、 of Britain, “the matters of France and the “matters of Rome.Later prose and verse narratives particularly those in the 19th century romantic tradition which were set in distanct or mythological places and times and stressed adventure and supernatural elements are also referred to as romances.Histor
20、ical Background (what is the most important event in this period?)1. The Norman ConquestIn 1066, at the battle of Hastings, William, the energetic Duke of Normandy, defeated the Anglo-Saxons and became the King of England.2. The Consequence of the ConquestPolitically, a feudal system and a centraliz
21、ed government was established in England .Religiously, the Rome-backed Catholic Church had a much stronger control over the country.Great changes took place in languages: the Norman lords spoke French; common English spoke old English; Latin became the principal tongue of church affairs and was used
22、 by the clergymen and scholars. ( As a result, many terms employed by the Normans were adopted into English language.)Normans brought to England their own literature.1.A brief survey:The period, from 1066 up to the mid-14th century, is almost a barren period in literary creation. In the second half
23、of the 14th century, English literature starts to flourish. In comparison with Old English literature, Middle English literature is uttered by more voices, deals with a wider range of subjects and is in a greater diversity of styles, tones and genres.Romance is the most prevailing kind of literature
24、. Popular ballad occupies an important position. The Middle English literature reflects the principles of the medieval Christian doctrine and emphasizes the humanity of Christ and the imagery of human passion. 2. Medieval Romance1)The features of Romancea)The romance was a long composition, sometime
25、s in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventures of a noble hero.b)Hero: usually the knight, a man of noble birth, skilled in the use of weapons, who sets out on a journey to accomplish some goal - to protect the church and the king, to attack infidelity, to rescue a maiden, to mee
26、t a challenge, or to obey a knightly command. c)The structure is loose and episodic; the language and style are simple and straightforward. d)It was written for the noble class, so it had nothing to do with the common people. e)It exaggerates the vices of human nature and idealizes the virtues.f)It
27、contains perilous adventures more or less remote from ordinary life, even describes supernatural things. 2) Romance CyclesRomances falls into three cycles : 1)“matters of Britain( adventures of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table), 2) “matters of France (Emperor Charlemagne and his peers)
28、 3)“matters of Rome. (Alexander the Great and so forth)3) Sir Gawain and the Green KnightIt is a verse romance of 2530 lines, derived from Celtic legend.Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, from the Cotton Nero A.x manuscriptSir Gawain and the Green KnightSir Gawain and the Green KnightSir Gawain and th
29、e Green Knight (from original manuscript, artist unknown)A. Plots of the Story: Part I : The Green Knights challenge Part II: Sir Gawains hard journey Part III: Three days of Gawains sojourn at the castlePart IV: Gawain went to the Green ChapleThe original Gawain manuscriptB. Analysis:1) alliterativ
30、e verse 2) an account of a typical chivalric adventure (motifs) 3) concerned with the rights and wrongs of conduct 4) Theme : a series of tests on faith, courage, purity and human weakness for self-preservation. 5) Structure: contains a prologue, an epilogue and its main body.The unknown author trie
31、s to make his romance the vehicle of a wise morality in which the humorously grotesque merges with the morally serious.3 Popular Ballads1) Introduction: Popular ballads are originally dance songs in verse form, usually in 4-line stanzas, with the second and fourth lines rhymed. They are mainly liter
32、ature of peasants, created collectively by people and constantly revised in the process of being handed down from mouth to mouth. There were several kinds of ballads: historical, legendary, fantastical, lyrical and humorous. 2) Ballads of Robin HoodThe most famous cycle of English ballads centers on
33、 the stories about a legendary outlaw called Robin Hood. Robin Hood is partly a real and partly a legendary figure who lived during the reign of Richard I. He was the leader of a band of outlaws, and they lived in the deep forest. They often attacked the rich, waged war against the bishops and archb
34、ishops, and helped the poor people. Therefore, Robin Hood and his followers were constantly hunted by the sheriffs. Robin Hood ballads shows the fighting spirit, indomitable courage and revolutionary energy of the English peasantry.Little John and Robin HoodRobin Hood and Maid MarianThomas Malory is
35、 the only important prose writer in the fifteenth century. He wrote an important work called Morte dArthur (Death of Arthur) .Malorys tale begins with the mysterious birth of Arthur and ends with his equally mysterious death. 1. IntroductionWilliam Langland was born in the western midland of the cou
36、ntry, living from about 1330 to about 1400. In 1362, he began his famous poem Piers the Plowman , which had been repeatedly revised, and of which three texts have been left to us. It was written in the old alliterative verse: each line contained three alliterated words, two of which were placed in t
37、he first half, and the third in the second half.2. Piers the PlowmanThe poem describes a series of wonderful dreams the author dreamed. It is written in the form of a dream vision.The poem is also an allegory which uses symbolism to relate truth. The poet uses indignant satire in his description of
38、social abuses caused by the corruption prevailing among the ruling classes, ecclesiastical and secular. The poem is written in alliteration.Page from the 14th-century Luttrell Psalter, showing drolleries on the right margin and a ploughman at the bottomPiersPiers is considered by many critics to be
39、one of is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest works of English literature of the the greatest works of English literature of the Middle Ages, along with Chaucers Middle Ages, along with Chaucers Canterbury Canterbury TalesTales and the Pearl poets and the Pearl poets Sir Gawain and the Sir Gawain and the Green KnightGreen Knight.First edition manuscript of the front page
