Early and High Middle Ages Flashcards
What does the term “Medieval Literature” refer to
typically drama, poetry, romance, epic prose and histories written in the vernacular, although can be virtually anything between 476 and 1500
When was the rise of the vernacular
The 7th centuyr
Who wrote the Ecclesiastical History of the English People?
The Venerable Bede
Why did Roman troops begin to withdraw from Roman colonies at the start of the 5th century
To fight Germanic invaders in Rome
When was the Anglo Saxon invasion of England
449
What was the highest authority in Europe at the end of the High Middle Ages?
The Catholic church
What was common in Japanese medieval literature?
War tales and waka poetry
What is waka poetry
A Japanese form of poetry with five, 31-syllable lines
Which dynasties did the medieval period in China cover?
Tang and Song
What form was popular in the Tang Dynasty
Poetry
What form was popular in the Song Dynasty
Fiction and drama
When did Medieval Literature appear in India
Around 1000 CE
What influenced Medieval literature in India
Muslim and Hindu religions, although an uptick in migration was promoting changes in thought and writing
What are the best known pieces of Indian Medieval Literature
The Ramayana and The Mahabharata
What device was used to make the abstract components of Biblical scriptures more accessible
Allegory
What is personification allegory
Where concepts like jealousy or friendship become characters in the story
What is symbolic allegory
Where characters are real people who symbolise something larger than themselves
What levels of meaning were present in Medieval Literature
Literal level
Meaning referring to the church or universal truth
The individual’s spiritual life and behaviour
Symbolism reflecting the afterlife
Who wrote Morte D’arthur
Thomas Malory
Who is it believed that King Arthur is based on?
King Alfred the Great
What was the first European epic written in the vernacular
Beowulf
When was Beowulf written?
Between 975 and 1025 CE
What three monsters does Beowulf face
Grendel, Grendel’s mother and a fire-breathing dragon
What is the first English work with an identified author
Caedman’s Hymn
When was Caedman’s Hymn written
7th century
Where was Caedman’s Hymn first recorded
The writings of The Venerable Bede
What is the oldest surviving piece of French literature
The Song of Roland
When was the Song of Roland written
Between 1040 and 1115
Which future works were influenced by The Song of Roland
Robert Browning’s Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, and Stephen King’s The Dark Tower
Who was Hildegard of Bingen
A Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, philosopher and medical practitioner
Name one of the earliest surviving examples of a musical drama by a known author
The Play of Virtues by Hildegard of Bingen
Who is recognised as the founder of Germanic scientific natural history
Hildegard of Bingen
