Chaucer To tottels miscellany (15th century) Flashcards
What is the century after Chaucer to tottels miscellany
15th century
15th century was generally
Barren
The 15th century had maybe a dearth of literary talent. But also even when talent exists it depends on?
Favorable conditions for its expression
What were the unfavorable conditions of 15th century
Religion degenerated, persecution– was employed to stamp out reform, country was distracted by politics– Wars of the Roses( York and Lancaster) , old order of fedualism shaken, low state of education– Universities wasting time on debates about medieval philosophy, middle class rising– hostile to intellectual activity
The greater part of poetry of 15th century is
Imitative of Chaucer ( Chaucerians)
In the poetry of 15th century we find what Chaucerians?
English and Scottish Chaucerians
Here and there real genius would show. What is a poem long ascribed to Chaucer but now known to be from an unknown Chaucerian?
The flower and the leaf
Who are the best known English Chaucerians
Thomas Occleve and John Lydgate
Name a major poem Occleve wrote, in what form, and talk about it
Governail of princes , in Chauceria 7line stanza (ababbcc) and in prologue he tells us about himself and his grief over Chaucers death, sings Chaucers praise
Minor poem of Thomas Occleve
Moder of God
Give John Lydgates background
A Benedictine monk of Bury St.Edmunds
Name some of John Lydgates works and what was one of them based on, and one of them was deisgned as a new?
Storie of Thebes( new Canterbury Tale), Troy Boke, Falles of Princes( based on a French paraphrase of Latin work by Boccaccio)
Where was the best poetry of the 15th century written
Scotland
Why can we say the best poetry of 15th century was Scottish
Though Chaucers influence was marked there was a spirit of originality or individuality
There is not much originality but there is great personal feeling in which Kings work written for whom
The Kings Quair written by King James I of scotland for Lady Jane Beaufort( a Duke’s daughter ) who became his wife
Why is Chaucerian stanza also called rhyme royal
Because King James I used it for The Kings Quair
Who was the greatest British poet between Chaucer and Spenser, whose individuality is clear
William Dunbar
Name some poems of William Dunbar and talk about them wrt individuality
The Thistle and the Rose( to commemorate wedding of James IV of Scotland to Margaret, daughter of Henry 7 of England ) – imitates Chaucer
Some satirical ballads
and Dance of the Seven Deadly Sins – full of Scottish character, poets personality, pathos and humour
Name some poems of Robert Henryson wrt individuality
Testament of Cresseid–imitates Chaucer
Robin and Makyne – an original story which is model for Robert Burn’s duncan grey
Name some poems of Gawain Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld wrt individuality
Palice of Honour– imitates Chaucer
Translation of Aenid, prologues to the books- full of originality
What is specially interesting about the Scottish Chaucerians
The treatment of nature
Chaucers descriptions of nature had become a convention among English poets. How is nature specially handed by Scottish poets
There too the convention reappears but men also study Scotch nature from reality and depict it for themselves
Which country poets did much to bring love of nature into English literature
Scottish poets
15th century was rich in a kind of minor verse that fostered love of poetry among English people. That is?
Ballad
Name some of the popular ballad literature after Chaucers death
Battle of Otterburn, the nut brown maid, ballads of Robin Hood cycle
What was more promising prose or poetry of 15th century ? English men were beginning to shape the rough materials of their native tongue.
Prose
Give background of Reginald Pecock. Also what was his bold break with tradition?
Bishop of St.Asaphs and later Chichester who took an active part of religious controversies – he was too conservative for the Lollards and vice versa. Made bold break with tradition when he set out his arguments in English instead of Latin.
Name some of Reginald Pecocks works
Repressor of Overmuch Blaming of the Clergy, Boke Of Faith
Name a work of Sir John Fortescue in politics
The difference between an absolute and limited monarchy
What were some important miscellaneous proses of 15th century
William Caxtons proses
The greatest prose of 15th century and author
Morte d’arthur of Sir Thomas Malory
When was Morte d’arthur completed
Ninth year of King Edward IV
Talk about content of Morte d’arthur. Also wrt dying medieval age.
Work is compilation of French romances dealing with King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. Malory wanted to make these disconnected stories into a summary.
In a age when medieval spirit and feudalism was dying, Malory looked back sentimentally and his book is full of ancient system of knighthood idealised.
What modern works and poets did Morte d’Arthur inspire
Matthew Arnold, Tennyson( Idylls of the king), Swinburne
Talk about style of Morte d’arthur
It is artless with little attention to grammar But wonderfully racy and picturesque, ocassionally very impressive
The 15th century was not a period of production but of
Preparation
The origin of the great intellectual awakening is in
The Italian revival of learning
With whom and in which century did the revival of learning begin
Petrarch and Boccaccio, 14th century
The 15th century was the great age of Italian humanism. Name some patrons of the arts
Florentine baker Cosimo de Medici, his grandson Lorenzo the Magnificent
Monastic libraries were ransacked and forgotten treasures of Greek and Latin learning brought to light. Talk about the two ways the revival of learning/Renaissance made an impact
1) it freed thought from the bondage of medieval theology by restoring ideals of pagan antiquity
2) gave writers literary masterpieces which they could take as models for their own efforts
What were the other ways in which Italian humanism flowed into English soil
1) English scholars crossed the Alps to study in Italian cities, bringing back inspiration with them
2) the new learning was firmly established in Oxford and Cambridge before 15th century was over
3) Young important Englishmen considered a visit to Italy necessary for education in art
What helped spread the ideas of the revival of learning and change spirit of the world
Introduction of printing. In England it was by William Caxton in Westminster 1476.
The results of the revival of learning are first shown in…What was the prelude period to the great creative age of Elizabeth
Early Tudor period
What kind of literature was the prose of the early Renaissance
Little of general literature but many of special subjects which concerned people of that time
Name some works which reflected growing interest in Scriptures in the years before the Reformation and influenced standard English prose greatly.
William Tyndales English New Testament
Complete English Bible of Miles Coverdale
Cromwells ‘Great’ Bible
What is the most thoroughly typical work of the early Renaissance in england
Utopia by sir Thomas more
Talk about what influenced the work Utopia and who translated it into English from Latin.
Platos republic influenced it with speculations about life, religion, government – it was translated into English by Ralph Robinson
Name some works written by the masterful prose author Roger Ascham” in the English tongue for English men”
Toxophilius / Schole of Shooting
Educational treatise ‘ The Scholemaster’ posthumously published
In the revival of English poetry, the direct influence was that of
Italy
A few poets in early Renaissance carried out chaucerian tradition or developed independent style. Name them and talk about them
Stephen Hawes- Pastime Of Pleasure- follows old allegorical style
John Skelton- began by imitating Chaucer but later evolved own style for coarse, vigorous attacks on Cardinal Wolsey
But the new movement of poetry really began at the thoroughly italianised court of
King Henry VIII
Who were the men at King Henry 8s court who drunk deep of Italian poetry and polished the English poetry
Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry howard, earl of Surrey
Together Wyatt and Surrey brought from Italy the amourist or love poetry popularised by Petrarch and followers. With it came the form of
Sonnet
Surrey, imitating Italian models, was the first English poet to use in his translations of Aenid, the
Unrhymed , ten syllable verse Blank verse
Wyatt and Surrey are the chief poets represented in a collection of ___ which is commonly known as ___ and is the first English ___
Songs and Sonnets, Tottels miscellany, anthology
Tottels miscellany was published in 1557, the year before 1558 when __ thus it marks the dawn of a new age.
Queen elizabeth came to the throne
