Early Eng. Literature Flashcards
(1-3)
What do you know about The Wanderer?
- Preserved in Exeter Book;
- Is about solitude, exile, sufferings, lack of protection;
What are the themes of Early E.L.?
War, religion and trials of life
Which works are similar to Caedmon’s Hymn and why?
The Seafarer and Deor’s Lament. They are told in the first person and are about ordinary human experience for the people to feel sympathetic and be able to relate
Which dialect prevailed in Sussex?
West Saxon
What happened in the 6th c.?
The reign of king Arthur (in Wessex, to 537)
What happened in 597?
Establishment of saint Augustine’s Christian mission at Canterbury
What happened in 793-795?
Vikings invasions (Danish and Norwegian) in Scotland, Northern and Eastern England
Who’s the author of Caedmon’s Hymn and describe the work itself, what it is known to be special for, the reason behind it.
Caedmon’s Hymn was written by a shepherd, a worker of the monastery of Whitby, Northumbrea. The voice of God came to him. The work is special for being the first English praise song whereas the others were in Latin.
What happened in 410 c.?
Withdrawal of Roman legions.
Which dialect prevailed in Essex?
Mercian.
When did most of the literary works get destroyed?
1530.
What do you know about Deor’s Lament?
- Written by Deor (author);
- Represents day-to-day life trials, solitude, exile, sufferings, lack of protection, bad times passing;
- Uses heroes of Germanic origin, their sufferings, with repeated chorus “That evil ended. So also may this!”;
- The first book about unemployment;
- Preserved in Exeter Book;
What was the early version of English?
Anglo-Saxon
What happened in 1066?
The Norman Conquest
What was the first fragment of Literature? Of which century?
Caedmon’s Hymn, the 7th century
What happened in 917-926?
England reoccupied Danish-held territories
What happened in the 9th c.?
Danish invasions, occupation of Eastern England
What is Exeter Book?
A manuscript containing poetry form the 10th c. and is kept in Exeter Cathedral. library in Devon.
What happened in 1013?
Danish conquest (monarchy, 1016-1042)
(1)___ and (2)___ could read and write before the (3)__th century in order to (4)__
(1) Monks
(2) nuns
(3) 14th
(4) preserve culture
What happened in 450 c.?
Anglo-Saxon and Jutish invasions from North-West Germany
What do you know about The Seafarer?
- Reflects close familiarity with contemporary interpretations of the Psalms;
- About day-to-day life;
- Contains images of seas and ships;
- Its author is unknown;
Describe the events of the 1066th.
- Eng. King Edward dies, then Harold comes (Son of Godwin);
- Norwegian forces get defeated at Stamford bridge (New-York);
- Harold was defeated by William of Normandy at Hastings;
When did England get divided into kingdoms and how many?
In the 5th century, 7 kingdoms
When did the Norman Conquest take place?
1066
List influence sources to Britain
Viking, Icelandic, Latin, Germanic, French, Celtic influences
What happened in 885?
Partition of England (under King Alfred the Great)
What happened in 1530?
Most of the literary works get destroyed
How many kingdoms were in England?
7
What happened in 802?
England united under King Eghbert of Wessex
What do you know about Venerable Bede?
- Had written the following works: “Ecclesiastical History of the Eng. People” and “The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle”;
- Was believed to be the one who had written “Caedmon’s Hymn”;
