English Literature Before The Conquest Flashcards
What was the former practice among English historians
To draw a sharp line between Anglo Saxon and English after Norman conquest ( mix of Anglo Saxon and Norman French )
What is the new practice by modern historians
Insist that English is a teutonic language and that English of 14th century grew out of Anglo Saxon in unbroken continuity
So Anglo Saxon is dropped and Old English is used instead
What does the idea of unbroken continuity in English language development, imply for literature
Literature did not begin with Chaucer but far back with the history of when English people settled on continent of Europe
We can still recognise the practical convenience of the older view of broken continuity which the new view replaced. What are differences between Chaucers and Caedmons english
Caedmons is like a foreign language while Chaucers is more like English. Caedmons literary style is radically different from English poetry today while Chaucers style more closely fits with it.
We can therefore say that modern English literature definitely begins with __ in the _century
Chaucer, 14th
Which is the best preserved piece of Anglo Saxon poetry by an anonymous author
Beowulf
Beowulf grew among the ballads of ancestors of English in Denmark and south Sweden. Story of Beowulf?
Mighty feats of Beowulf, how he killed the monster Grendel who wasted the land of the king of Danes, next he killed Grendels mother, lastly as a old man he went to destroy a dragon and was mortally wounded in process of killing it.
Other then author of Beowulf who are some known old English poets
Caedmon, Cynewulf
Which period did Caedmon and Cynewulf belong to
Period immediately following conversion of Anglo saxons to Christianity which started at end of 6th century
Give background of Caedmon
Servant attached to monastery of Whitby in Yorkshire
What is the tale told about caedmon
The power of verse came to him in a divine gift. Until then he’d never been able to play the harp in the monastery. Then the voice of an angel appeared to him in a dream and said “ sing the beginning of created things “
Works of caedmon
3 free paraphrases of scripture
One dealing with creation and fall
Second with exodus from Egypt
Third with history of Daniel
Now it is believed a considerable portion of them are by imitators and not caedmon himself.
Give background of Cynewulf
He tells us in his Dream Of the Rood that he was a wandering gleeman converted to religious life by a divine vision of the cross
Works of Cynewulf
Christ; poem dealing with incarnation, descent into hell, the ascension and the last judgment
Elene; an account of finding the true cross by St Helena the mother of Constantine
Juliana: tale of Christian martyrdom
While generally sacred in subject and earnest in feeling. Anglo Saxon poetry is full of a love of __
Give example
Adventure and fighting, war poetry like Battle of Brunanburh
What is a striking natural feature of Anglo Saxon poetry
Love of the sea
What form does Anglo Saxon poetry use. State the broad rule.
Beginning rhyme or alliteration. Broad rule is that first line of Anglo Saxon poem contains two accented syllables and second line atleast 1 accented syllable. Accented syllables in each case begin with same latter. Unaccented syllables are irregular.
Give a line from Beowulf using beginning rhyme or alliteration
Grendal gongan, Godes yrre baer
( Grendel going, Gods anger bore )
Where did Anglo Saxon poetry flourish north or south
North
Prose writing developed later in south. The old English prose writings possess little literary value. But who was the first translator to put the vernacular to systematic use?
King Alfred
Which work did King Alfred translate and talk about it( also the greatest work he did is?)
Latin ‘ Ecclesiastical history’ of the venerable bede
Greatest monument of old English prose , Anglo Saxon Chronicle , under his guidance transformed into a national history and recorded until death of King Stephen.
From the Norman conquest to the beginning of the 13th C, English had a severe struggle to maintain itself as a written language. Its revival began in the reign of _
King John
Why was king John’s reign special wrt his people
The hostility between natives and invaders had ceased and they became a single people as shown by incident of Magna Charta 1215
Mention some ways how English identity was solidfying
1) loss of French possessions by English crown
2) English began to assert itself beside French the rival tongue
What was the first noteworthy work of the English revival, who wrote it, what is it about
Brut by Layamon a parish priest of Worcestershire
Enormous poem dealing legendary history of ancient Britain beginning with Aeneas the ancestor of Brutus who was the ancestor of the British people. Ends with Cadwallader the last of the native kings . Along the way many episodes of King Lear and King Arthur
What is Brut based on and what is the significance of these influences
Based on a French paraphrase with additions of a Versified chronicle “ Brut d’ Engleterre” of the Anglo Norman poet wace.
WHICH itself was based on History Of Britain by romancing Welsh historian Geoffrey of Monmouth
Therefore in Layamons poem three influences. Celtic, French( uses rhyme), English( Anglo Saxon principle of alliteration)
What is Ormulum and who wrote it
Series of metrical homilies in short lines with no rhyme or alliteration by a Lincolnshire priest Orm
Who wrote Ancren Riwle or Rule of Anchoresses ; a prose work, what is it about
Anonymous
Guidance of ladies into religious life
Name a last old English charming dialogue poem from the 13th century and talk about it( content and form)
The owl and the nightingale, in which both birds discuss their merits. It discards alliteration entirely and adopts French end rhyme
The important productions of the 14th century belong to religious and not general lit. Name and Talk about them
Robert Mannyngs Handlyng Synne ( Manual of sins)
Prose by other writer, Ayenbite of Inwyt( Remorse of Conscience); both translated from French
Cursor Mundi; Versified account of scripture with legends of many saints
The period between conquest and Chaucer is more historically than literature wise important. Modern English was evolving out of conflict of tongues. The result of it was a _ langauge the result of _ and _
Mixed, Anglo Saxon and Norman French
Norman French continued for a long time to be an important and fashionable langauge. But by beginning of 14th century it lost its hold on the English. How do we know this
Complete triumph of English was seen in statue of 1362 where it was declared all law proceedings must be done in English
At that time English was broken into dialects with no standardised form. Which dialect dominated
East midland English
Why did East midland English dominate and which famous writer used it
EM English dominated as it was speech of London capital and centres of learning Oxford and Cambridge. Chaucer used it
