Final Flashcards
Caedmon’s Hymn
Unknown, Latin translation by Bede in 680 in The Ecclesiastical History of English People i
♣ A monk who could not sing bails out of a party early because everyone is taking turns singing and he doesn’t want to embarrass himself. He falls asleep in a cattle shed and dreams of an angel who asks him to sing about creation. Afterwards he shared his talents and writes many songs about creation, heaven and the origins of humanity as well as songs about the coming judgement and the terrible punishments of hell.
Bede
First English poem
The Dream of the Rood
10th Century, author unknown
♣ divided into three parts: the Dreamer’s initial reaction to his vision of the Cross, the monologue of the Rood describing the Crucifixion, and the Dreamer’s conversion and resolution to seek the salvation of the Cross
The Wanderer
Author unknown
c. 975
o Hardships in life, lonely with no one to share thoughts with
o Exiled due to his Lord’s death
♣ Lord could literally be God, and maybe he lost his belief emotionally and spiritually exiled himself, causing his loneliness and cold surroundings
o Imagines better times and memories
Beowulf
c. 788
preserved in only a single manuscript
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
12 books each, one about war, one about going home
Vergil’s Aeneid
12 books, going home and then going to war
To His Scribe Adam
Chaucer
14th Century
letter to his scribe
Canterbury Tales
Chaucer
1478
General Prologue
Chaucer
1478
Introduction of all the characters in Canterbury tales
Chaucer the Pilgrim is the narrator
Takes place in April to go to Canterbury and thank a saint who helped them when they were sick
Prioress
makes a point to talk about her body
impressed by her education and demeanor
Monk
Extremely handsome, but didn’t follow the rules that monks were supposed to
Pardoner
conned people into buying indulgences
proves that you can’t trust what the speaker is saying
Chaucer pilgrim vs. Chaucer poet
even though the poet is the narrator, they are different
Prologue
Marie de France
12th century
The 3 matters
The Three Matters
England - Arthur
France - Charlemagne
Rome - epics
Lanval
Marie de France
12th century
Knight at Arthur’s table who met the lady in the forest and couldn’t talk about her, wife makes a move on Lanval and he says he’s with the lady, wife tattles and almost dies but the lady saves him and blah blah blah
Gawain and the Green Knight
Author unknown
late 14th century
Wyatt, Surrey
metaphor is a tool for thought
Petrarch sonnet 140
similar to Wyatt but more straight foward, “die loving well”
Sydney
Sonnet 1 and An Apology for Poetry
An Apology for Poetry
1595
In response to Gossun
attacks philosophy and literature, as they fail to recognize imagination
as soon as historians start explaining reasoning, they are writing poetry
poetry is used “as an art of imitation” in order to teach and delight
Shakespeare Sonnet 18
Draws attention to his act of composition more than the actual girl
“look how I’m writing about you”
eternalizes her, keeps her timeless
demonstrates his power as a poet
why didn’t plays have authors name on cover?
because the playwrights had no status
Shakespeare Sonnet 20
enjambment
formally innovative
Utopia
More, 1516 set in Belgium a perfect place for us, an ideal society that is just a concept More: the ambassador Hythlodaeus: skilled orator Peter Gilles: friend of More
Conversations under trees in gardens
philosophical
What can philosophy do
teach you the straight truth, but you can’t just teach it directly since “do this bc it’s better” isn;t a good way to teach, it has to be taught indirectly
3 Philosophies
politics, ethics, economics
Utopia and its people
simple and not materialistic, even though this leads to lack of individuality
enjoy gardening which is very Eden/biblical like, little real world concerns
not much freedom due to all of the laws that they all obey
Faerie Queene
Spenser
1590
each knight was virtue, Book 1 = Holyness
Purpose of book: to teach you how to be a better person. You don’t already have to be a noble person, you can be fashioned into one
John Smith
renaissance soldier was selected to serve as a council member and supply officer. After voyaging in Virginia, his team was murdered and Smith was ordered to be executed by the Powhatan tribe. Smith was supposed to be executed but was saved by Pocahontas, a daughter of the Powhatan tribe. The tribe killed the other colonist in an attempt to stop encroachment of English settlers. Smith is generally unpopular.
Useable past
something that makes what you’re trying to convey look good
Civic myth
compelling stories about a society that generates conflicts within the concept of citizenship itself
Eurocentrism
focusing on European culture or history to the exclusion of a wider view of the world
Metaphysical poetry
poetry like John Donne’s
topics of interest: love, religion, morality
unusual comparisons with similes and metaphors, strong lines
Metaphysical poets
John Donne
George Herbert
Marvell
Res & Verba
subject matter and style
The Canonization
the poem’s speaker wanting to be left alone. He addresses some unnamed person and demands that he (or she) shut their big yapper and leave him in peace—to love.
To His Coy Mistress
Marvell
carpe diem poem
if he had all the time in the world, he’d praise her, but he doesn’t
time slowed down
Easter Wings
Herbert
has technopaignion
balances Christ’s saving of all and Herbert’s personal story
A Song for St. Cecelia’s Day, 1687
Dryden
an occasional ode
remarkable use of structure
chaos of pre-creation is represented in first 8 lines bc of no rhyming/mixed syllables
Paradise Lost Book 1
Satan awakes in Hell, with other fallen angels, becomes their leader and goes to a meeting he’s holding
Paradise Lost Book 2
Satan speaks to the Council about battling Heaven, some of the fallen are for it and some are against it. Satan decides to make life difficult for the new race God is creating, and decides to head to the new land. He meets his children, Sin and Death, who are guarding the gates of Hell and is directed by Chaos when he passes
