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English Literature History Summary
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A summary of all the subject matter on English literary history
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Old English (450 -1066 AD)Celtics
- 500BC
- 500 years
- Considered original inhabitants
- Central & Western Europe
- Used iron tools (Iron Age)
Romans
- Attacked in 55 & 54 BC, both failed
- Conquered in 43AD (Except Scotland)
- Brought infrastructure/roads to Britain (Ex. Hadrian’s Wall)
- Collapsed in 5th century
Some Celtics aligned with the Romans, Romans could take over land once they died
Scots and Picts defeated Celtics
Anglo-Saxons
- Angles, Saxons & Jutes conquered Britain
- Founded the English nation
- Monasteries
- Formed the basis of language
The Anglo-Saxons called their language Englisc and it was similar to Frisian.
The oldest manuscripts written with Roman letters found dates from 700AD. Prior tot his, they wrote
in Germanic alphabet (Runic).
Literature
Anglo-Saxon literature can be divided into two groups: Germanic and Christian. Poetry was passed
mouth-by-mouth in those days, and they used alliteration. The stories were about heroic deeds
(Beowulf), feeling of loss (The Wanderer), travels (The Seafarer) and religious feelings (Caedmon’s
Hymn).
Written texts became to appear in the 7th, 8th and 9th century. There are about 400 manuscripts left
from that period. Most old poets are anonymous, only for have a certain writer; Caedmon, Bede,
Alfred and Cynewulf.
The three most important works of this period were:
- The poem Beowulf, the longest poem written in Old English, which has achieved national epic
status in Britain.
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle preserving a chronology of early English history.
- The poem Caedmon’s Hymn from the 7th century, which survives as the oldest extant work of
literature in English.
Vikings
Viking attacks on England started around 800AD, and at first were plundering raids. Around 850AD
the attacks became more serious and some vikings actually settled in. They eventually started to
roam and raid the counttryside. Vikings took control of large parts of England. When they tried to
conquer Wessex they got resistance of King Alfred the Great, forcing the vikings to surrender in 878.
Alfred and the vikings agreed to the Treaty of Wedmore, to leave Wessex alone.
The vikings have influenced the English language a lot, and contributed important things to the
language till this day.
Vikings and a lot of Anglo-Saxons intermarried until new tormentors arrived in 1066.
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