The Survey of English literature
Part One: Early And Medieval English Literature Chapter1. The Making of England
Britons----The Roman Conquest------The English Conquest( the Angles, Saxons, Jutes): Anglo---Saxon period witnessed a transition from tribal society to feudalism. Anglo----Saxon literature:
There were two highlights in the development of the Anglo---Saxon literature.
1. The first was the Northumbrian School. Its center was the monasteries and abbeys in the kingdom of
Northumabria. Related with this school was Caedmon who lived in 7th century and who turned the stories in the Bible into verse form. The title of the work is Paraphrase. Another well known figure of the Northumbrian School was the Venerable Bede( 673-735), a monk who wrote in Latin and whose work The Ecclesiatical History of the English People earned him the title of “ Father of English History”.
2. The second highlight of the Anglo---Saxon literature happened during the reign of King
Alfred.( 871-899).
A. A number of Latin books of educative value were translated into West Saxon dialect. B. Alfred was responsible for the Launching of The Anglo---Saxon Chronicle.
C. Alfred’s third contribution is that he created a style of Anglo-Saxon prose which was not obscure. Chapter 2 “Beowulf”
In reading Beowulf we must notice that the poem is a mixture of paganism and Christian elements. “Beowulf” is a folk legend brought to England by Anglo-Saxons from their continental homes. Its main stories( the fights with monsters) are evidently folk legends of primitive Northern tribes. The most striking feature in its poetical form is the use of alliteration( is the repetition of the same sound or sounds at the beginning of two or more words that are next to or close to each other.) Other features of “ Beowulf” are the use of metaphors and of understatements. A kenning is a metaphor usually composed of two words, which becomes the formula for a special object. In the poem Beowulf is strong, courageous, and selfless, ready to risk his life in order to rid his people of evil monsters. Chapter 3 Feudal England 1. The Norman Conquest.
A. Historical background: At the battle of Hastings the last Saxon King Harold was defeated by Duke
William of Normandy. Nominally, the Duke of Normandy was a subject to the king of France, but in actuality, he was an independent sovereign. The Norman conquest in 1066 accelerated the development of feudalism in England..
B. Knight: it originally meant no more than a household servant, living in the lord’s hall and to serve
him in war, and when necessary, to fight for the king. Later, the great barons gave land to knights on condition that they should be ready to fight when called upon.
2. The Romance: The most prevailing kind of literature in feudal England was romance. It was a long
composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventures of a noble hero. The central character of romances was the knight. The code of manners and morals of a knight is known as chivalry. The content of romance was usually about love, chivalry, and religion. In subject matters, romance naturally falls under three categories: A. The matter of France; B. The matter of Rome; C. The matter of Britain. The romance of King Arthur is comparatively the most important for the history of English literature. The theme of loyalty to king and lord was repeatedly emphasized in romances, as loyalty was the corner-stone of feudal morality.
3. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”: The poem reflects the ideal of feudal knighthood. A true knight
should not only dedicate himself to the church but also should possess the virtues of great courage, of
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fidelity to his promise, and of physical chastity and purity. It contains several elements which prepared ground for a new culture: A. a vivid portrayal of the hero Gawain and a fine analysis of his psychology. B. a well unified and exciting plot full of climaxes and surprises. C. The three hunting scenes and the three bedchamber scenes are closely related with each other. D. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a mixture of Anglo-Saxon poetry, the musical effect of which depends on the alliterated initial syllables and French poetry, the musical effect of which depends on the fixed number of accented and unaccented syllables in a verse line. Chapter 4
1. Historical background: Two important historical events happened during the century in this period. The
first was the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. The second historical event was the peasant uprising of 1381. The Hundred Years’ War was a series of wars fought between the English kings and the French kings for the French Throne. The result of the Hundred Year’s War was an awakening of national consciousness in England. The peasant uprising of 1381 was the direct result of exploitation and oppression of the peasants by the feudal lords, which was led by John Ball.
2. John Wycliff( 1324-1384): A. He was one of the first figures who demanded to reform the church in
order to do away with the corruption and rottenness. B. He was also important because he was the man who translated the Bible into standard English. His work earned him the title of Father of English Prose.
3. William Langland( 1330-1400) “ Piers the Plowman”:
(1) It was written in the old alliterative verse; each line contained three alliterative words, two of
which were placed in the first half, and the third in the second half.
(2) The poem sets forth a series of wonderful dreams, through which we can see a picture of feudal
England.: A. The Exposure of the Ruling Classes. The author saw in his dream all sorts of parasites; B. The Story of the Cat and Rats. The political situation of the time is summed up in an animal story; C. The Marriage of Lady Meed. In the next dream, the corruption of the ruling class is incarnated in a Lady Meed, the enemy of Truth; D. The Condition of the Peasants. The author describes the hard life of the poor peasants; E. The Search for Truth The next part of the poem describes the pilgrimage o f people of various social strata in search for Truth; F The Class Nature of Piers; G. Social Significance.
(3) Artistic Features: it is one of the greatest of English poems. It is written in the form of a dream
vision, and the author tells his story under the guise of having dreamed it. This was a usual method in medieval literature. The poem is also an allegory which uses symbolism to relate truth. But, in the main, it is a realistic picture of medieval England. Its artistic merit may be shown by its portraits of the Seven Deadly Sins.
4. Allegory: It is a story or description in which the characters and events symbolize some deeper
underlying meaning, and serve to spread moral teaching. An allegory has a double meaning. It has a primary meaning, or surface meaning, and a secondary meaning, or underlying meaning. Chapter 5
1. The Ballad: A ballad is a story told in song, usually in 4-line stanzas, with the second and fourth lines
rhymed. The ballads are in various English and Scottish dialects. No one knows who composed them. They were created collectively by the people and constantly revised in the process of being handed down from mouth to mouth. They are mainly the literature of the peasants. Of paramount importance are the ballads of Robin Hood.
There are certain basic characteristics common to a large number of ballads. A. The beginning is often abrupt.
B. There are strong dramatic elements.
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C. The story is often told through dialogue and action. D. The theme is often tragic. E. The ballad meter is used.
2. Sir Thomas Malory( 1405-1471): he is the author of The Death of Arthur. It was he who finally compiled together the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table which were scattered in a number of French romances and made great contribution to the development of English prose. 3. The Robin Hood Ballads: The various ballads of Robin Hood are gathered into a collection called “The Geste of Robin Hood,” in which the whole life of the hero is portrayed. A. The Origin of the Robin Hood Ballads: Clearly the historical origin of Robin Hood and his band of outlaws is to be found in the perpetual struggles of the peasants against the landlords, against the local officials and against the king’s judges. Robin Hood is a partly historical and partly legendary character. B. The Character of Robin Hood: The character of Robin Hood is many-sided, he is at the same time tender-hearted and affectionate. But the dominant key in his character is his hatred for the cruel oppressors and his love for the poor and downtrodden. Another feature of Robin’s view is his reverence for the King. In spite of this, the Robin Hood ballads show the fighting spirit, indomitable courage and revolutionary energy of the English Peasantry. Chapter 6
Geoffrey Chaucer( 1340-1400)
1. The works of Chaucer are roughly divided into three periods, corresponding to the three periods of his
life. He is the first great poet who wrote in the English language. He was called “ the founder of English realism.”
A. The first period(1360-1370): he wrote under the influence of French literature. The Book of the
Duchess. In the French period, the author is trying his hand on metre, on language, on subject. B. The second period(1372-1386): he wrote under the influence of the Italian literature. Troilus and
Criseyde, The Parliament of Fowls, The House of Fame. In the Italian period, the poet’s own creativeness shows itself though borrowed themes. Troilus and Criseyde is Chaucer’s longest complete poem and his greatest artistic achievement. In this poem Chaucer has not only given us a full and finished romance, but has endowed it with what medieval romance lacked-interest of character as well as of incident.
C. The third period covers the last fifteen years of his life. The Canterbury Tales. The author has his
own choice of subject, his own grasp of character and his own diction and plot.
2. The Canterbury Tales
(1) It should be an immense work of 124 stories. Only 24 were written. But incomplete as they
are, these tales cover practically all the major types of medieval literature: courtly romance, folk tale, beast fable, story of travel and adventure, saint’s life, allegorical tale, sermon, alchemical account, and others.
(2) The Prologue provides a framework for the tales. It contains a group of vivid sketches of
typical medieval figures. It is no exaggeration to say that the Prologue supplies a miniature of the English society of Chaucer’s time.
(3) The significance of The Canterbury Tales is as follows: A.It gives a comprehensive picture of Chaucer’s time.
B.The dramatic structure of the poem has been highly commended by critics. C.Chaucer’s humour: Humor is a characteristic feature of the English literature.
D.Chaucer’s contribution to the English language. He introduced from France the heroic
couplet to English poetry ( the rhymed stanza of various types, especially the rhymed couplet of 5 accents in iambic meter.). He is the first great poet who wrote in the English language.
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