Book Reviews and Analysis

The origins of English Literature cannot be confined within the umbrella of English or even British; transcending borders and seas, English Literature originates both and near and far from its English borders. Also known as the Medieval period it spans across 10 centuries. 

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SOME PROMINENT MOMENTS:

Seamus Heaney translated Beowulf (written in Old English, A Germanic descendant 

Marie de France - wrote short stories in an Anglo-Norman* dialect (12th century)

William Tyndale - translated the New Testament from Greek - thereby revolutionising the course of the English Language (16th century)

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ANGLO SAXON LITERATURE: classified by use of Old English 450 AD to about mid 11th century by its Germanic settlers though Old English usage in literature was slowing down by the 10th century but was never the same after the Norman conquest. Technically Old English is the forerunner to contemporary English but it is closer linguistically and regarding its literature - with the Germanic languages e.g. Beowulf. Old English is also pervaded with inflection - a concept which diminished somewhat once Middle English became established. 

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ANGLO-NORMAN LITERATURE: 1066 - mid 14th century = After William conquered the Anglo Saxon King of England in the Battle of Hastings in 1066 the french language featured heavily in our own and also changed the institutional composition of the country. The concept of King Arthur, his round table and the knights which sit upon it, albeit making its first appearance in Celtic literature, came to prominence due to fascination by not only French but English and Germanic medieval writers - featuring his tales in their own literature. It wasn't until the eventual defeat of Edward III, who spared a war in order to lay claim to the French throne, leading to the withdrawal of the English from almost all French territories, that patriotism and pride in uniquely English Literature was conceived. The English displaced French as the language of litigation and office and eventually only the upper echelons (often as a symbol of their high brows) maintained their bilingualism. Exemplifying this change is Chaucer, in the pursuit of keeping up with European poetry, writing in his own language - appropriating, redefining, legitimising and establishing Middle English as a player in the universal poetry game. 

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The aristocracy of the era were drawn to Celtic Legends told by 'Bretons' giving fuel for many a 12th century narrative. Thomas of England, Marie de France and Chrétien de Troyes were said to be the forerunners of the 'Romance' genre, incorporating the tales of knights and their damsels from Breton storytellers. The majority of late medieval writers wrote in this genre. The most established and solidified tale of the chivalrous knights and their famous King Arthur came from Geoffrey of Monmouth and his book: The History of the kings of Britain. Tales of knights often subverted hierarchies or emulated the aspirations of those who in society wanted to, often describing the bildungsroman or perhaps journey of enlightenment to one's worth and valiance of a lowly knight (written in early middle english). Interestingly, The Owl and the Nightingale, a poem, combines the interwoven aspects of 12th century writing; religion and romance but does not come to a verdict so as to advocate one over the other. From 1200 onward, examples prose and poetry were starting to show the decline in popularity of French (despite its establishment in the institutions of the country), even the nobility were starting to consider it secondary to English, thus giving way for Chaucer and his peers in the 1300's as literature was steadily becoming accessible to those who solely spoke English. 

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MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE: 14th and 15th centuries

 

The 14th Century: Famine and disease was prevalent in the middle ages - however most predominantly in the 14th century where the plague (the Black Death) reared its epidemiologically potent head in 1348. Steadily, as a result of a number of uprisings on behalf of the common people and lesser clergyman there began a political shift. More inclusion, in the administration and politics of men outside the church and nobility, the idea of capitalism etc. 

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The 15th Century: After the death of Henry V in 1422 the country was in a fragile state leaving it vulnerable to civil war, namely the War of the Roses; between Lancashire (the red rose and York (the white), the war wasn't won until 1485, crowning Henry Tudor of Lancashire as King Henry VII. The genre of medieval tragedy generally involved the schadenfreude or downfall of great men into penury and squander. Literature surrounding religion was still popular but underwent more detailed scrutiny due to the rise int he reformist religion known as 'lollardy', the practice of which was now legally punishable by burning. The era saw the development of plays hyperbolically chronicling the bible only to disparage the sins of society as well as the didactic morality play which saw to teach the debauched a lesson on pious comportment. 

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INDEX:

*The Anglo-Norman dialect - Norman - served as a language of administration in England following the Norman conquest of England in 1066 meaning law and politics was conducted in this dialect. 

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OLD ENGLISH:

Is a highly inflectional language, a facet which weakened as middle english became the proprietary language but whilst Old English was in usage, the language itself highly resembled latin in its use of conjugation to convey different meanings.