3. The beginnings of EnglishThe beginnings of English
literatureliterature
• The first literature
• Old English
• England – two cultures
• 1066 – Normans
• Scandinavian influences
• 1215 – Magna Carta
• 1362 – language of law
4. Old EnglishOld English
• Latin – major influence
o Plants, animals, food and drink, household items.
• pise – pea, plante – plant, win – wine, cyse – cheese, catte – cat, disc – dish,
candel – candle
o Clothing
• Belt – belt, cemes – shirt,
• Norse – Viking raids – 200 years
o Personal names of Scandinavian origin
o 1,000 words became a part of Standard English
o [sk-] sound, an Old Norse feature – skirt, sky, skin
7. Cadmon’s HymnCadmon’s Hymn
• One of the earliest poems in Old English is Cadmon's
´Hymn´, which was written in about 670.
o Nu we sculon herigean howfonrices Weard,
Meotodes meahte ond his modgeþanc
Now we must praise of heaven's kingdom the Keeper
Of the Lord the power and his wisdom.
8. BeowulfBeowulf
• The most famous Old English poem is
Beowulf.
• Many of the earliest books were histories,
rather than imaginative writings, and these
writings have given us most of the
information we have of this period.
9. Beowulf prologueBeowulf prologue
• Hwæt! We gardena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah,
• Hear me! praise of the prowess
of people-kings of spear-armed Danes,
in days long sped, we have heard,
and what honor the athelings won!
Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes,
from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore,
10. Eft he axode, hu ðære ðeode nama wære þe hi of comon.
Him wæs geandwyrd, þæt hi Angle
genemnode wæron. Þa cwæð he, "Rihtlice hi sind
Angle gehatene, for ðan ðe hi engla wlite
habbað, and swilcum gedafenað þæt hi on
heofonum engla geferan beon."
11. ReadRead
• The extract from Beowulf discuss the questions with a
fellow students.
o Understanding the poem
o Language
o Discussion
13. How did English evolve?How did English evolve?
How did English evolve?
- Answer the study questions
14. Middle English 1150-1485Middle English 1150-1485
1) Man of romance
2) Women began to appear in the poems
3) European literature began to influence
English writers.
4) The first histories created a sense of national
historical and mythical identity.
15. ProgressProgress1) King Arthur
2) Layamon
3) Love and death
4) Questions society.
5) The invention of printing
6) One of the first stories printed in
England was King Arthur and the
Knights of the Round Table,
published in 1485.
16. Middle English spellingMiddle English spelling
Might – different spellings:
maht, mahte, mi tte,ƺ
mihhte, mayht, micht,
michtis, michte, mi t, mi te,ƺ ƺ
mi ten, mi tes, mihte, mist,ƺ ƺ
mithe, mouthe, myhte,
myhtes, myhtestu
• Great variation – factors:
o Historical (French invasion)
o Linguistic (vowel change)
o Social (growth of population –
more speakers)
17. GEOFFREY CHAUCERGEOFFREY CHAUCER
1) Best-known
2) The first great poet
3) Make literature equal
4) Canterbury tales (1387-1400)
5) Religion is less important
18.
19. The knight’s taleThe knight’s tale
What is this world? What asketh men to have?
Now with his love, now in his colde grave
Allone, withouten any companignye
What is this world? What do men ask for?
Now with his love, now in his cold grave
Alone, without any companionship.
20. ReadRead
• The extract from The pardoner’s tale and discuss the
questions with a fellow student.
o Language
o Discussion
From 449 and onwards, Brits were invaded by The Saxons, Angles and Jutes. Over a period of about a hundred years, further bands of immigrants continued to arrive, and Anglo-Saxon settelmens spread to all areas apart from the highlands of the west and north. By the end of the 5th century, the foundation was established for the emergence of the English language.
The first literature in English goes back to the period between AD 410 and 1066. (The early medieval period.)
OLD ENGLISH: the language of the first literature in English.
It was a long time before it was actually written down: the first stories and poems were spoken, and we don’t know exactly when the first stories were told.
* Two cultures - the Christian culture, which had arrived in England in 597 with Saint Augustine and the heroic culture, of leaders and heroes who defended their lands against invaders.
The Norman Conquest, and the battle of Hastings in 1066 was the last successful invation of Britain. The Normans took power and William the Conqueror became the king of England.
The Normans brought with them many French influences and the French language began to mix with old English to a more modern language.
Scandiavian influences were also strong and Latin was still the language of the Church, so there were many influences on English language and culture.
Out of these influences, a national identity began to develop.
The Magna Carta of 1215 reduced the power of the King, giving more power and property rights to the aristocrats.
The first Parliament was in 1265 and in 1362, English became the language of law.
The roman army and merchants gave new names to many local objects and experiences, and introduced several fresh concepts.
1) The first literature was influenced from many different cultures, languages and places.
2) Familiar subjects: war, religion, personal sadness and happiness.
3) Christian monks in the monasteries were the first ones to write down the early literature – they were the only ones that could read and write.
Old English was written in the runic alphabeth. This was used northern Europé, in Scandinavia, present-day Germany, and the British isles – and his been preserved in about 4000 inscriptions and a few manuscripts.
The most famous Old English poem is Beowulf. Beowulf was written down in the eighth century, but is believed to have been told already in the sixth century.
Beowulf is the first hero in English literature, the man who can win battles and give safety to his people over a long period of time.
1) In Middle English literature the earlier hero now became the man of romance – love poetry entered the literary scene.
2) Women began to appear in the poems, usually as the object of desire and perfection, but also as human beings with feelings of their own.
1) King Arthur became an important figure from the dark history of wars and troubled times, and he became the symbol of English history for many centuries.
2) Layamon, one of the fist authors who saw himself as an writer of history, wrote Brut (late twelfth century), an important text in the history of writing in English. The themes in Brut can be found much of the later literature.
3) Many of the writers of the Middle English period reflect themes of love and death.
4) Medieval literature questions its society, making its reader think about the times they live in as well as giving a picture of the fast-changing society of the time.
5) The invention of printing had great impact of the spread of English Literature.
One of the best-known names in English literature
The first great poet of the nation and the language
Chaucer wanted to make English literature equal to European literature.
4) Canterbury tales (1387-1400) is Chaucer's most famous works.
A series of linked stories told by a group of people on their way from Southwark to Canterbury.
These people tell many different kinds of stories – secular, religious, moral, classical, modern.
Canterbury tales is a poem that consists of 17,000 lines.
Canterbury tales is a mirror of its times, Chaucer is describing a society that is changing, and its people and their values are changing too. The story-tellers contrast old ways of behaving and thinking with more modern attitudes.
5 Religion is less important, the new ambition is to make money.