Middle English Flashcards
Chivalric romance
Definition
- Literary genre
- Well-liked among noble and royal courts
- Involved quests which celebrated the heroic qualities of a knight-errant
- Focus on love and courtly manners; values tested
Example
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by the Gawain poet
Significance
- Depth of storytelling
- Reflects the culture it was written in; the importance of chivalry –> honour and bravery of knights
- Incredibly engaging to read
King Arthur
Definition
- A medieval, mythological figure
- Head of the Knights of the Round Table
- King of Britain in many medieval romances
Example
- Lanval by Marie de France
Significance
- Does not consider Lanval worthy → gives the others gifts except him
- Becomes a symbol of chivalry
- Represents an ideal knight who inspires other knights to be like him
- Chivalry –> ground rules for knightly behaviour (gallantry/courage/bravery and honour expected)
Queen Guenevere
Definition
- A medieval, mythological figure
- Wife of King Arthur/Queen of Britain
Example
- Lanval by Marie de France
Significance
- Represented as evil
- Pride affected by Lanval’s rejection
-Liar
- Important character in Lanval because she is the root of the problem –> Lanval taken to court because of her lies to King Arthur; she claimed Lanval asked her to be his lover (effect on chivalry)
Middle English
Definition
- A form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066
Example
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wife of Bath’s tale by Chaucer
Significance
- Shaped the future of English literature
- Changes to vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation
- Choosing to write in English instead of French or Latin
- English language evolves to reflect new cultural influences –> Middle English
- Regional differences reflected in Gawain poet and Chaucer’s language
- Chaucer using more French than Gawain poet
- Chaucer legitimizes literary use of Middle English when dominant literary languages were Anglo-Norman French and Latin in England
Pearl Poet
Definition
- Gawain poet
- Author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Example
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Significance
- Reflects the culture it was written in; the importance of chivalry –> honour and bravery of knights
- Alliterative revival in literature –> increasing use of the alliterative verse form of oral Old English poetry –> pre-conquest forms or conventions
Honour
Definition
- Understanding of right and wrong, adhering to actions or principles considered right
Example
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Significance
- Chivalric romance –> emphasis on honour
- Reflects the perspectives of that time
- Gawain does not reveal green girdle; choose to protect his own life than protect his honour
Hospitality
Definition
- Treating guests with honour and respect
- Friendly and welcoming behaviour towards guests
Example
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Significance
- Gawain is welcomed by people of the castle –> offer hospitality for the time he spends –> offer place to stay warm, rest, eat, and keep him entertained
- Reflects that time period –> a duty
Alliterative verse
Definition
- Form of verse that uses alliteration as the main structuring device to create unity
- A technique where the consonant sounds at the beginning of words or stressed syllables are repeated
Example
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Significance
- Creates structure in poetry and employs use of caesuras/pauses
- Deeper understanding of Old English poetry – they used alliteration –> first poetic tradition
Alliterative revival
Definition
- Resurgence of alliterative verse in Middle English
Example
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Significance
- Increasing use of the alliterative verse form of oral Old English poetry –> pre-conquest forms or conventions
- Helps with the oral retelling of the story –> more memorable for the reader, brings in emotion and a certain mood
Canterbury Tales
Definition
- Collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer
- Collections are built around a frame tale –> group pilgrimage from London to Canterbury
Significance
- Depicts the different social classes within that time period
- Pilgrims come from all “estates” or walks of life –> represent people within his society –> men and women, young and old, religious and lay
- People we see around us –> pub and walking through the street, not people from your past
- The language he chooses to write in is significant –> cultural influences; turns away from the dominant literary languages (Latin and French) and uses vernacular English
Pilgrimage
Definition
- A journey to a holy site
Example
- The group in the prologue of Canterbury Tales are on a pilgrimage
Significance
- Use of pilgrimage to bring different social classes together as they would not interact in other circumstances; like they should be separated but they are found together here –> variety of people of different classes and places
- Allows Chaucer to show the complexities of society back then
- Represents diversity of contemporary society
Iambic pentameter
Definition
- Line of verse composed of 10 syllables arranged in 5 metrical feet (iambs) –> each one containing an unstressed syllable followed by stressed syllable
Example
- Chaucer writes in iambic pentameter in the Wife of Bath’s tale
Significance
- Chaucer known as the first person to use it
- It gives order to the English language
- Elevates a writer’s verse –> making English lines more elegant
Estates satire
Definition
- A satire of people based on their position in one of the 3 “estates” (classes) of Medieval society –> the Church (those who prayed), the Nobility (those who fought), and the Peasantry (those who laboured)
Example
- Prologue of the Canterbury tales
Significance
- He satirizes the groups of his time
- Allows him to mock the estates (social classes) of his time
Book of Wikked Wyves
Definition
- A book that Jankyn (Wife of Bath’s 5th husband) was reading out loud about wicked women throughout history (unfaithful women, etc) –> Reading about Eve -seen as the downfall of man
Example
- Jankyn in the prologue of Wife of Bath
Significance
- He read it out loud to torment her
- She hit him, he hit her back, she pretended to be dead which upset him and he promised her anything if she would live
- This is how she got sovereignty over 5th husband
- Shows how a happy match is one in which the wife has control
Auctoritee
Definition
- Middle English version of authority –> which means having more knowledge about a topic than others –> an authority on that topic –> having authority grants people the power to make important decisions or have accepted opinions
Example
- Wife of Bath’s authority over marriage
Significance
- She claims that her authority to speak on marriage is justified by her experience rather than on her ability to interpret the Bible, a practice she attributes to men
- In medieval times, the term authority was loaded with significance –> it was the men who said what women should be or should not be
- Listen to me because I have been married 5 times –> my experience with men makes me an expert on marriage and relations between men and women
