British Literature (Middle Age – Renaissance)
5th century
- Anglo-Saxon came from northwestern Europe and settled in England
- no written literature
- songs and sagas – love of freedom, love of home, warriors, religious feelings
6th century (to 1350)
- Christianity
- monks in monasteries – mostly elegies, war poems, heroic epics
- language – old English
- Beda Venerabilis – one of first chronicles; Anglo-Saxon chronicle
- Beowulf – the oldest medieval epic (anonymous)
– about knight who killed monster (Grandel)® killed during a fight with a dragon
– describes society and life of ancient time
“Middle English” period (1350-1550)
- 2 languages – Norman French (spoken word) – brought by William the Conqueror
– Latin – written word
- conflict between English and Norman French Þ “Middle English” language
- romances brought by minstrels (pilgrims)
- heroic and romantic stories x cruel reality (wars, illnesses, poverty)
- in lit. religious texts, chronicles, heroic and love poetry and romances
- book press
- John Wycliff – theologian and translator of the Bible
- Geoffrey Chaucer – Canterbury tales – description of society
– humorous way
– pilgrims travel to a Canterbury and narrate tales for a joy
end of the16th century – renaissance
- revolt against the church’s authority
- inspiration from antique
- Elizabethan Age
- rights for individual freedom
- sonnets, love poems
- Christopher Marlowe – Faustus
- Francis Bacon – philosopher
- William Shakespeare – born in Stratford
– the Globe – theater
– dramatist, sonnets
– inspiration from history + his time
– famous for – language, scenes of plays (one differs from another), strong characters
– historical drama – Richard III.
– comedies – As you like it
– tragedies – Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello
- John Donne, Ben Johnson – dramatists