Summary
Summary English literature havo 5
- Course
- Level
This summary consists of the beginning of the country of England to the present day.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
marielledewagt
Content preview
SE ENGELSENGLISH LITERATURE
The Old English Period c.500-1066
HISTORY
→ In the fifth century after christ appeared the angles/saxons/jutes (germanic
tribes). They had left their homes on the contiment to find a new place to life and
met the original inhabitants of Britain the celts. Britain had been a province of the
Romans for 400 years. The celts had been dependent on the roman armies for
their protection. Without the romas armie the celts were unable to prevent the
newcomers from settling in Britain permanently.
→ The new settlers gradually drove the celts westwards until they had occupied
the larger part of what is now England. These germanic invaders are the founders
of the English nation and their language forms the basis of English as it is spoken
today.
→ Towards the end of the eighth century the vikings started invading. In the
beginning they only raided coastal areas. They robbed people and buildings and
then left again. Later on they started settling as well and by the end of the ninth
century large areas were controlled by the vikings. They had occupied a
considerable part of England which they called Danelaw this fell under
Scandinavian law. An Englishman Edward the Confessor became the new king of
England.
LITERATURE BEOWULF
→ The Germanic tribes brought along their own culture. The poems of this period
are epic poems, long narrative poems that are usually about a hero’s fabulous
adventures and heroic deeds.
→ The poems were passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation
and they were sung in the halls of kings. Those poetry was mostly in alliterative
lines without rhyme. In alliterative verse 2 or more words within the same line
begin with the same letter. This made it a little easier to remember the lines of the
poem. At a later stage some of these poems were written down by monks.
→ The most important is the epic poem of beowulf. It tells the story of the young
Swedish prince Beowulf who is determined to kill a monster (Grendel) that
ravages the kingdom of the Danish king hrothgar.
, The Middle English Period 1066-1500
HISTORY
→ Edward the Confessor died in 1066. Harold Godwinson and Duke William of
Normandy both claimed the throne. When Harold was crowned William took
prompt action. He crossed the Channel with his troops and invaded England
where he defeated Harold’s army in the famous ‘’Battle of Hastings’’.
→ Life changed dramatically for the people in England under William’s rule. The
most important positions were now hold by Normans. Because of that, French
became the official language in the higher circles of society, although common
people continued to use English. For several centuries French and English existed
side-by-side, but by the fourteenth century English had become the national
language again. But it had changed enormously by then, because it had taken
over many thousands of French words.
LITERATURE GEOFFREY CHAUCER
→ The influence of French culture is reflected in the whole character of middle
english literature. The courtly love tradition gave women a prominent place in the
works of the middle English period. The most popular genres were ballads and
romances.
→ The most important poet is Geoffrey Chaucer whose most important work, the
Canterbury tales is a link-and-frame story. This means that there is a number of
tales (the links) set within the context (the frame) of another story. The framework
for the Canterbury tales is provided by the journey of the pilgrims to Canterbury
and the storytelling contest they agree to hold. The links in this work are the
different stories the pilgrims tell each other.
→ In the Canterbury tales Chaucer introduces 29 pilgrims who have come
together at an inn in London. They are preparing to go on a pilgrimage to the
grave of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury. They agree to hold a story
telling contest on their way to Canterbury and the winner will be treated to a free
dinner.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller marielledewagt. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.54. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53068 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now