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A brief history of English Literature chapter 1 - 5
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Periods of English literature and LanguageEnglish language -> 3 periods:
Old English 450 – 1100
Middle English 1100 – 1500
Modern English 1500 –
Old English:
Old English existed alongside Latin for literary and administrative purpose. 9th century a Danish
impact.
English literature -> 9 periods:
Old English literature 450 – 1066
Middle English literature 1066 – 1485
Renaissance literature 1485 – 1660
Restoration literature 1660 – 1700
Augustan/ Eighteen-century literature 1700 – 1789
Romantic literature 1789 - 1837
Victorian literature 1837 – 1880
Late Victorian literature 1880 – 1900
Twentieth-century literature 1900 – 1999
- Edwardian literature 1900 – 1914
- Modernism 1914 – 1930
- The thirties 1930 – 1939
- The Forties 1940 – 1949
- Post-war literature 1945 –
How do literary texts play a role in society and how do thy intervene in their culture? > What is the
interaction between texts and the era of their production?
1. Old English literature
450 – 1066: The Anglo-Saxons period runs from the invasion of Celtic England by Angles, Saxons and
Jutes in the first half of the 5th century up till the conquest by William of Normandy in 1066. Around
the 7th century there was a period of conversion to Christianity.
Beowulf – The epic poem(somewhere between 700 – 900): Beowulf a warrior prince from Geatland
in Sweden, who goes to Denmark and kills the monster Grendel (descended from Cain) that has been
attacking the great hall of Heorot, built by Hrothgar, the Danish King.
- Little information about author or when written
- Written in Old English
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, - A pattern that is specific for Anglo-Saxon times: Literary texts deal with an idea of ’order’,
a feeling of existing within a secure framework: In Beowulf there are 3 fights. Each of
these fights are between those who live in the royal hall and a monster. The royal hall
represents a sense of security, a place of refuge. A place for feasting and protection
against whatever might be encountered in the darkness outside.
- It was a time where first re-Christianisation began and after Anglo-Saxons were up
against the Vikings. Time of invasions by outside forces, fearing attack. Beowulf reflects
and expresses the anxieties that would have dominated such a society.
- Anglo-Saxons kings such as Alfred (871-99), Athelstan (924 – 39) and Edgar (959 – 75)
contributed to the forging of one people, one state. Beowulf as a warrior from Sweden, is
going to aid Denmark.
- Beowulf as King slays the dragon in order to win its treasure for his people. The poem
Beowulf shows the ideas of that time of leadership and loyalty as source of hope.
- Beowulf belongs to a tradition of heroic or epic poetry traced back to Ancient Greek and
Rome. An epic is a long narrative poem that operates on the deeds of warriors and
heroes. The poem is combined with myths, legends, folktales and past events.
- Beowulf is an oral epic. Beowulf embodies an hero who has all the qualities that are
necessary in a leader in a hierarchical, masculine, warrior society.
- At that time pagan values were in conflict with, and gradually yielding to Christian values.
Reading Beowulf you see the conflict between a warrior hero, and the Christian
perspective that is not entirely at ease with some of the warrior code.
Q1. Which parts of Anglo-Saxon warrior society do we see reflected in Beowulf?
Anglo-Saxon warrior society reflects the hero as a warrior, who had strength, courage and honour.
Beowulf came to Denmark to help the King when the mead hall was attacked, which shows loyalty.
Beowulf ripped the arm of the monster apart, which shows strength.
Q2. Beowulf contains both pagan and Christian elements, can you name a few?
They write about heaven and about being blessed, which are Christian elements. Test of character
through violence struggle described in the story are Pagan elements.
The Seafarer – Lyric poem(poem that expresses personal feelings): Features a speaker who relates
the hardship and isolation of a life at sea, at the same time expressing passionate grief about the life
on shore he has known and of which he is no longer part. There is paradoxically both nostalgia for
the past and a deep love of the sea despite its loneliness.
The Wanderer - ? : The speaker is an exile seeking a new lord and the protection of a new mead-hall.
The poem conveys his sense of despair and fatigue.
- King Alfred established English navy
- Both are an elegy(a complain).
- In the Seafarer the poem employs sea imagery to convey an idea of exile and loneliness,
of a hostile universe where humans are battered and tossed around aimlessly. The
Wanderer, the poet moves from his personal experience top the general experience of
humanity, how people suffer in a world characterised by war and the ravages of the
time.
- Comfort can only be derived from the hope of heaven.
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, - Both poems are dwelling on death, war and loss. There is a general perception of life as a
struggle.
- Characteristic of Anglo-Saxon time is that the hardship is part of life in a hard masculine
culture.
- The Seafarer offers by the end the idea of religious consolation.
➢ The poems looks to both the past and the future as the poet moves between an old
pagan view of life as a never ending battle and new values associated with
Christianity
Old English poetry: on the one hand there is a sense of a harsh and unforgiving world, and on the
other a sense of Christian explanation and consolation. Or is this because the poems are affected
because transcribed by Christan monks?
The Battle of Maldon – A heroic, yet disastrous, attempt to oppose Viking Raiders. -> Clings on
to traditional values of strength and courage.
The Dream of the Rood – Is a dream-vision poem in which the poet encounters a speaking Rood or
Cross. The Cross tells us about the Crucifixion, how it was buried, and then resurrected as a Christian
symbol. It thus acts as both a witness to the Crucifixion and as a parallel to Christ, who throughout
the poem is compared to a heroic warrior. -> Very overly Christian written. A poem about high
ideas and human frailty.
Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetics and the rhythmic qualities of language. It is set in
lines and verses rather than paragraphs. Examples of poetry include sonnets and limericks.
Prose is a form of written or spoken language, and it typically exhibits a natural flow of speech and
grammatical structure. Prose can be fiction or non-fiction. Examples of prose include novels.
Drama is a form combined with music and dance. Playwrights write these plays, which are intended
to be performed in theatres. For a long time, nearly all drama was in verse form.
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