English Literature I History The Makings of Modern Day English About 449 AD several large Germanic tribes the Angles from Denmark Saxons from Germany and Jutes from Jutland or Rhineland traveled to the islands known as ID: 336831
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Slide1
Background to the English Language
English Literature ISlide2
History/ The Makings of Modern Day English
About 449 AD, several large Germanic tribes, the Angles (from Denmark), Saxons (from Germany), and Jutes (from Jutland or Rhineland), traveled to the islands known as
Britannia
. At the time, England was not yet united and these Teutonic plunderers brought with them a Germanic-based language that would become Anglo-Saxon, or Old English.
www.englishclub.com
Slide3
In 597 AD
, St. Augustine arrived from Rome to spread Christianity and convert Anglo-Saxons. Clergy were literate—priests brought writing to England (writing was a result of Christianity).
Most
“literature” of the time was in the Oral Tradition, or passed down by a
SCOP who could memorize and recite pages and pages of poems. The Scop praised deeds of
past
heroes, recorded history, and provided entertainment.With the arrival of Christianity, more writing took place (in Latin, the language of the church). The church controlled what was written down so less religious ideas were lost.
History/ The Makings of Modern Day
English (cont’d)Slide4
History
/ The Makings of Modern Day English (cont’d
)
All prose was usually written in Latin before the reign of Alfred the Great.
Bede (673-735), a priest and a scholar, wrote The History
of
the English Church and People, which gives an account of England from the Roman invasion up to his own time. He was able to generate the history of Britain, although his main concern was the spread of Christianity in England.
The Venerable Bede
psalterstudies.wordpress.comSlide5
In 827, King Egbert named Britannia
Englaland
, or “land of the Angles,” and the language
came to be called Englisc.In the ninth century, Norse (Norway) and Danes (Denmark) were pressured by their own populations and set out for other lands—namely, the British Isles.
In 871, King Alfred (the Great) was able to resist further encroachment by these Vikings; Saxons acknowledged Danish rule in the North and Danes respected Saxon rule in the South. Alfred the Great also encouraged a rebirth in learning and education (he was a great patron of the arts). He became known as the
“Father
of English Prose.” History/ The Makings of Modern Day English (cont’d)
King Alfred the Great
www.satucket.comSlide6
By the close of the tenth century
, Saxons were forced by the Danish to select Danish
kings,
and this went on until Edward the Confessor eventually was able to regain Saxon Rule. His death in 1066 brought about the end of Anglo-Saxon rule. In 1066, Edward’s chosen Saxon predecessor battled with William of Normandy over rights to the throne. William won the Battle at Hastings or what was called the
Norman Conquest. During his reign he saw that business was conducted in French or Latin. French became the official language, which then mixed with English (OE) to become what is now known as Middle English (ME).
History/ The Makings of Modern Day English (cont’d)Slide7
Middle English eventually gave way to Early Modern English, then MDE or PDE (Modern or Present day English).
OE
= Beowulf, Exeter Book, etc. ME
=Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales MDE or PDE= Shakespeare
History/ The Makings of Modern Day English (cont’d)Slide8
Timeline of the English LanguageSlide9
Old English sample
This is from the epic
Beowulf
, and in its original form—Old English. Click here for a link to hear it
read aloud: http://
faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/Beowulf.Readings/Beowulf.Readings.html
Slide10
Middle English Sample
Whan
that
Aprill
with his shoures soote
The
droghte of March hath perced to the
roote
,
And bathed every
veyne
in
swich
licour
Of which
V
ertu
engendred
is the flour;
Whan
Z
ephirus
eek with his
sweete
breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and
heeth
The
t
endre
croppes
, and the
yonge
sonne
Hath in the ram his halve
cours
yronne
,
And
smale
foweles
maken
melodye
,
That
slepen
al the
nyght
with open ye
(so
priketh
hem nature in
hir
corages
);
Thanne
longen
folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And
palmeres
for to
seken
straunge
strondes
,
To
ferne
halwes
,
kowthe
in
sondry
londes
;
And specially from every shires
ende
Of
E
ngelond
to
C
aunterbury
they
wende
,
The
hooly
blisful
martir
for to
seke
,
That hem hath
holpen
whan
that they were
seeke
. Slide11
Variations in/ evolvement of English
Source: http
://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/OE_vs_ME.pdfSlide12
Most Anglo-Saxon
Writing
/Poetry
: was fatalistic, gloomy, melancholy, and grim (dealt with the Germanic idea of wyrd, or fate
)addressed the reality of a warrior societyfocused
on a seafaring tradition
was mostly pagan though written down by monks/clergy who injected Christian ideasCharacteristics
of Old English/ Anglo-Saxon
WritingsSlide13
Poetry was usually epic (heroic; dealing with the achievements of warriors)
or
elegiac
(lamenting the loss of a loved one).Anglo-Saxon poetry had two general features: repetition and variation (on a theme)
Characteristics of Old English/ Anglo-Saxon WritingsSlide14
A strong rhythm, usually four beats in a line
Caesuras
, or pauses within a line, which gave a
Scop the chance to catch his breathKennings, or metaphorical two-word poetic renamings of people, places, and things, such as “whales-home” for the seaAssonance
, or repetition of vowel soundsAlliteration, or repetition of initial consonant sounds Elegy, a lyric poem mourning the loss of someone or something
Epic
, a long narrative poem, usually developed orally, that celebrates the deeds of a heroLyric poetry, developed from the lyre, a stringed instrument used when poetry was recited; was both secular and religious and full of emotionSynecdoche, where part of something is used to refer to a whole entity; e.g., “wheels” for car, “iron” or “steel” for sword
Metonymy ,
refers to something else, but unlike synecdoche, the part does not have to refer to the whole (linked but not part of). e.g., “ride” for car, “Lend me your ears” for listening, “
H
ollywood” for celebrities
Poetic elements associated with Anglo-Saxon
PoetrySlide15
The Exeter Book
A
collection of manuscripts that includes pieces from oral tradition, probably compiled by monks around the time of Alfred the Great between 871 and 899. It was a blend of traditions mixing pagan ideas about fate with Christian ideas about faith and heaven.
Included were the stories and boasts of proud warriors with lessons in humility, and the famous Exeter Riddles; most material was in poetic form. -The riddles, or enigmata
, are sometimes sexual in nature with their use of
double-entendre. The reader is teased by a misleading description of an object.-Of the 95 riddles, there are only 5 on which everyone agrees on the answer-People pretty much agree on 15 of themSlide16
Themes and Motifs of this Time Period and its Literature
The characters outside the male community are disruptive: monsters, women, etc. Women did not hold as much importance and were infrequently found in writings of the time.
Nothing lasts; human relations are discordant
No human effort can change the course of wyrd or go against God’s will.
Pagan vs. Christian valuesMaking a good name for oneself was almost as good as immortalitySurvivalGood vs. EvilThe sanctity of the homeLoyalty and allegianceHeroism/ heroic deedsSlide17
Good Luck this semester!Slide18
Beowulf is the oldest surviving work of English poetry, written in Old English sometime around the 11
th
century, although the poem dates from around the eighth century. The
action takes place in Scandinavia.The epic Beowulf explores the nature of heroism in medieval society.The character Beowulf is a Geat from what is now southern Sweden. He sets sail to help Danish King Hrothgrar
in his fight against the evil monster Grendel, who is terrorizing Denmark’s great mead hall, Herot. The second battle is between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother, who seeks revenge for the murder of her son. The third and final battle takes place in Geatland about 50 years after the first two battles. When a dragon threatens his kingdom, the aged Beowulf is determined to slay him.
Beowulf