Middle English Literature: Part 1
Summary
TLDRThe script explores the evolution of the English language and literature post-Norman Invasion, highlighting the transition from Old English to Middle English. It discusses key literary works like 'Ormulum' and 'Brut' by Layamon, emphasizing their significance in language development. The script also covers the rise of the romance genre influenced by French literature, exemplified by 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,' and the alliterative revival. It touches on spiritual writings and 'Piers Plowman,' which critiqued religious corruption, influencing the Reformation.
Takeaways
- 🏰 The Norman Invasion of 1066 led to the displacement of English and the rise of French as the primary language in the British Isles.
- 📜 The Old English language evolved into Middle English after the Norman Conquest, with significant changes in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
- 📚 The period of Middle English is categorized from the 12th to the 15th century, marking a transitional phase in the English language.
- 📖 'Ormulum' or 'Orum' is an important work from the early Middle English period, showcasing the development of the language post-Norman Conquest.
- 🎭 'The Owl and the Nightingale' is a well-known Middle English poem featuring a debate between two creatures, noted for its allegorical and satirical nature.
- 📝 'Brut' by Layamon is a historiography that played a role in reviving English literature and popularizing the tales of King Arthur.
- 🏰 The influence of French literature, particularly the works of Chrétien de Troyes, significantly impacted the spread of the romance genre in English literature.
- 🔊 The 14th century saw the emergence of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,' a poem notable for its use of alliteration.
- 📜 'Piers Plowman' by William Langland is an allegorical poem that critiques religious beliefs and corruption, influencing the spiritual discourse of the time.
- 📈 There was an increase in spiritual writings during the 14th century, reflecting a growing interest in religious and moral themes.
Q & A
What significant event occurred in 1066 that impacted the English language?
-In 1066, the Norman Invasion led by William of Normandy, also known as William the Conqueror, took place. This event resulted in the displacement of English as the primary language, as the people were obliged to speak French.
How did the Norman Conquest affect the development of the English language?
-The Norman Conquest caused changes in grammatical systems, vocabularies, and pronunciations, transforming the English language into Middle English, which was more comprehensible than Old English.
Who is Geoffrey Chaucer, and why is he mentioned in the script?
-Geoffrey Chaucer is a significant Middle English author known for 'The Canterbury Tales.' He is mentioned in the script as an example of the literary works from the period of Middle English.
What is the time frame for the period of Middle English mentioned in the script?
-The period of Middle English can be categorized from the 12th century until the 15th century.
What is 'Ormulum' and why is it significant in the development of the English language?
-Ormulum, also known as 'Orm and the Nightingale,' is a Biblical exegesis written by a monk named Orm or Obin. It is significant because it helps trace the development of the English language since the Norman Conquest and utilizes a poetic meter, making it one of the first Middle English poems to have such a format.
What is 'Brut' and how does it relate to the history of Britain?
-'Brut' is a historiography about Britain in the form of a poem written by an English priest named Laȝamon. It is based on the work 'Roman de Brut' in French by Wace and is one of the earliest tales of King Lear and his daughters.
Who is King Offa, and how is he connected to the English literature of the 13th century?
-King Offa was a historical figure known for possessing the sword Excalibur. His name and the tales related to him were popularized by Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose work 'Historia Regum Britanniae' was a significant influence on English literature during the 13th century.
What is the romance genre as it was understood during the Middle Ages, and how did it influence English literature?
-During the Middle Ages, the romance genre referred to tales of knights, their heroic adventures, battles, and chivalry, rather than modern notions of love stories. It influenced English literature by introducing themes of heroism and chivalry, as seen in works like 'King Horn' and 'Havelok the Dane.'
What is 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' and why is it notable?
-'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' is a classic tale from the 14th century that uses alliteration with repeated consonant sounds in a series of words. It is notable for its poetic structure and is often attributed to the same anonymous author of 'Purity,' 'Cleerness,' and 'Patience,' which were part of the alliterative Revival in Middle English poetry.
What is 'Piers Plowman' and what is its significance in the context of the script?
-'Piers Plowman' is an alliterative allegorical poem by William Langland. It is significant as it satirizes religious beliefs and corruption during the time and had a profound influence on the spiritual level of society, even being read as a reformist Protestant text in the 16th century.
Why was there an increase in spiritual writings during the 14th century?
-The increase in spiritual writings during the 14th century could be attributed to the societal and religious upheavals of the time, including the effects of the Black Death and the growing desire for religious reform, which led to a greater focus on introspection and spiritual matters.
Outlines
🏰 Norman Conquest and the Birth of Middle English
This paragraph discusses the impact of the Norman Conquest on the English language and literature. The invasion by William of Normandy in 1066 led to the displacement of English as the primary language, with French becoming the language of the ruling class. This period resulted in the transformation of Old English into Middle English, with changes in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. The paragraph introduces Geoffrey Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' as an example of Middle English literature and outlines the time frame of the 12th to 15th centuries for Middle English. It also mentions 'Ormulum' or 'Orum', a Biblical exegesis written in early Middle English verse, which is significant for tracing the development of the English language post-Norman Conquest. Additionally, it introduces 'The Owl and the Nightingale', a debate poem with allegorical and satirical elements about human life.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Norman Conquest
💡Middle English
💡Ormulum
💡Allegory
💡Historiography
💡Romance Genre
💡Alliteration
💡Piers Plowman
💡Excalibur
💡Anonymity
💡Spiritual Writings
Highlights
The Norman Invasion of 1066 significantly impacted the English language, replacing Old English with French influences, transforming it into Middle English.
The Middle English period is classified from the 12th to the 15th century, with notable changes in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
Orrmulum by Orm (or Obin) is an early Middle English Biblical exegesis that uses poetic meter, making it important for tracing the development of the English language.
The poem 'The Owl and the Nightingale' is a notable 12th-century work that remains popular due to its allegorical and satirical representation of human life.
The 13th-century work 'Brut' by Layamon, an English priest, is a poetic historiography about Britain, inspired by earlier French and Latin works.
Geoffrey of Monmouth's 'Historia Regum Britanniae' was one of the first tales to introduce King Arthur and popularize the legend, although its historical accuracy is debated.
The French romance genre, featuring knights and heroic adventures, heavily influenced English literature in the 12th and 13th centuries.
'King Horn' and 'Havelok the Dane,' anonymous romance works, became popular examples of English literature influenced by the French tradition.
The 14th-century poem 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' is a famous alliterative romance, showcasing chivalry and knightly adventures.
The 'Alliterative Revival' of the 14th century saw a resurgence in poetry utilizing alliteration, with notable works like 'Cleanness,' 'Patience,' and 'Pearl.'
William Langland’s 'Piers Plowman' is an alliterative allegory that critiques religious corruption and had a lasting influence, being interpreted as a reformist text in the 16th century.
Geoffrey Chaucer’s 'Canterbury Tales' exemplifies the transformation of English literature and language during the Middle English period.
The French poet Chrétien de Troyes was instrumental in spreading the romance genre, which influenced English works like 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.'
The 14th century saw an increase in spiritual writings, reflecting the growing religious and philosophical discussions of the time.
Middle English literature was shaped by the convergence of French, Latin, and English traditions, leading to a unique linguistic and literary development.
Transcripts
[Music]
the British Isles the continent with A
Series of Unfortunate Events after being
invaded by the Romans largely impacting
the landscape of the language within the
continent the British Isles were once
again attacked in 1066 by William of
Normandy or William the career the
Norman Invasion resulted in the
displacement of English as the primary
language there as the people were
obliged to speak French now the conquest
of the Normans affected the previous Old
English language causing changes in
grammatical systems vocabularies and
pronunciations making the English
language transformed into the more
comprehensible Middle English with the
example like this excert from jeofrey
Cha's canbury Tales who is jeofrey Chara
you ask don't worry we will address that
question soon but before that to make
things easier know that the period of
Middle English can be categorized into
the periods of the 12th century until
the 15th century okay so let's take a
look at the state of English literature
during the 12th century what do we have
during this time we have omum Orum a
Biblical exegesis which is the
interpretation of the Bible the work was
written by a mon named om or Obin as
stated in the work itself in the form of
early middle English verse this
particular work helps in tracing the
development of the English language
since the period of the Norman Conquest
so it is quite an important work other
than that the work also utilized a
poetic meter which basically means
stress patterns of a beat in poems
making it one of the first Middle
English poems to have such a format
there also a poem known as the old and
the night tingle as the name suggests it
is a story about an o and a night tingle
the two creatures have arguments about
various things in a courtly style and
this work remains one of the most
well-known literary debates despite of
the office anonymity due to its
allegorical and even satirical nature of
human life moving on to the 13th century
one of his surviving works of this time
is brute written by lamman an English
priest brute is a historiography about
Britain in the form of a poem based on
the work by wasis Roman de Brut in
French was based his work on Historia
reg britan by Joffrey of Monmouth
Joffrey were in Laten and claimed to
have translated the work from a British
language although the claim is adopted
by the majority and his history of
Britain is highly inaccurate when
compared with theal thing nevertheless
his work is one of the earliest Tales of
King Leah and his three daughters
Joffrey also popularized the famous King
auor for those who don't know King Offa
have you ever heard of a sword Excalibur
it was one of King offa's possessions so
in this era for lon's brute the English
literature was seemingly revived his
work was King office's first appearance
in the form of the English language
still the introduction and the massive
influence of the tale were due to the
French influence or French literature to
be more specific cren D tra a 12th
century French poet wrote aruan Tales
which largely impacted the spread of a
romance genre during this time and by
romance we do not mean a love story
between a sparkling vampire and a
fragile girl or a cheesy love story
between a manly man and a cute lady
romance here is the tale of knights
their Heroic Adventures battles in the
name of courtly love and Cavalry other
English Roman works of this period
include King Horn and havock vain in
which the authors of both works are
unknown or
Anonymous now moving on to the 14th
century following the romance genre
Trend this was the period for the
emergence of a classic tale SGA wine and
the green night but we will not be
analyzing about the iconic work here in
order not to stray too far from the
topic at hand Saga and ven night is one
of the examples of a poem using
alliteration with repeated sounds of
consonants in a series of words although
the author of Sir gawan andina has never
been truly known it is often inferred
that the author was the same author of a
poem titled the perel cleanness and
patience poems whose auor is also
Anonymous these poems were part of the
time during Middle English called the
alliterative Revival in which there was
a Resurgence of poetries utilizing
alliterations another famous work during
this time was pierce po man an
alliterative allegorical poem written by
William langland it is a poem about a
man and a narrator with the name Will
and his dream Visions it is considered
as a satire to the religious beliefs and
religion Corruptions during the time
largely influencing the spiritual level
of the society to the extent that it was
read as a reformist Protestant text in
the 16th century now speaking of
spiritual stuffs there is an increase of
spiritual writings in the 14th century
but let's take a break created using
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