Starejsa angleska knjizevnost

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OE Literature(6th cent. 1066)

1. HISTORICAL BACKGROU! A! THE GER"AIC CO#UEST O$ BRITAI

a. In the 5th, 6th cent. after the decline of the Roman Empire the Jutes, the Saxons, and the

Anles in!aded and settled in "ritain. #he$ came from Scandina!ia %&enmar', (or)a$,

and northern *erman$+.

. #he -elts, )ho )ere -hristianied $ the Romans, had een dri!en to remote areas of

ales, Scotland, and Ireland. 0issionaries came from these places to -hristianie theAnloSaxons in the 6thcent. %-hristianied in the 2th, 8thcent. from paan to -hristian+.

c. In the 2thand 8thcent. Enland )as di!ided into 'indoms3 (orthumria, 0ercia, East

Anlia, 4ent, Essex, Sussex, and essex. #hese 'indoms )ere united, ecause of i'in

raids, the capital )as inchester.

%. THE CULTURE& ICLU!IG THE LAGUAGE& A! CI'ILISATIO O$ THE OL!

EGLISH ERIO!

a. #he E dialect ecame standardied )ith the essex dialect 7 4ins Enlish. #he

essex dialect )as standardied as the AnloSaxon dialect.

. 9iterature is the mixture of paan and -hristian elief.

c. #he essex dialect had man$ inflections, case endins, con:uations, ender forms... #hespellin and the pronunciation did not differ.

d. #he main approach in the E literature is the alleorical approach 7 metaphors )ere used.

e. #he literature aounds in the imaes of e!il/dar'ness !s. oodness/liht 7 "ipolar !ie) 7

order !s. chaos %la)less paan societ$ and -hristianit$+, apocal$ptic !ie).

f. #he literature )as primaril$ oral, later shorter text )ere hammered out in stones

%inscriptions+ 7 rune alphaet. At the time the first manuscripts appeared.

. #he characteriation $ the feudal societ$ is reflected in literature.

h. #he social, hierarchical p$ramid3 1. the 'in, ;. !assals,


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+. THE $IL" !ISCUSSIO BASE! O KIG AL$RE!,S LI$E AS A "ILITAR*

REA!ER

a. hen Alfred ecame 'in of the est Saxons in 821, he )as alread$ an experienced

militar$ leader, as he had participated in se!eral campains aainst the in!adin &anes.

#he &anes had een present in the "ritish Isles since at least 28, ut until the time of

Alfred the$ had concentrated their efforts on su:uatin the eastern lands of "ritain.

@o)e!er, in 865 a reat arm$ of &anes hunr$ for land and )ealth mo!ed Duic'l$ throuh

the 'indoms of East Anlia and (orthumria. After these t)o 'indoms capitulated and

paid triute to the in!aders, the &anes turned to 0ercia. #here, in 868, the$ met oth0ercians and est SaxonsF the t)o nations had formed an alliance that had een

strenthened that !er$ $ear $ the marriae of Alfred and Ealhs)ith, dauhter of a 0ercian

ealdorman. Alfred and his elder rother 4in Aethelred personall$ led the essex

continent, $et not e!en the comined forces of the 0ercians and the est Saxons could

'eep the &anes at a$. #he 0ercians, li'e the East Anlians and (orthumrians, had to

Gma'e peaceG that is, pa$ triute. In 821 AlfredHs rother Aethelred died, ma'in Alfred,

last son of 4in Aethel)ulf, the ne) 'in of the est Saxons. In that $ear as )ell the

&anes turned their attention to AlfredHs 'indom, and for the next four $ears, until 825,

Alfred ouht peace for his people $ pa$in triute to the &anes. At first the in!aders

seemed satisfied, ut in 825 the$ ean alterin the terms of the peace. #hat $ear, after

collectin their triute, the &anes did not lea!e essex as the$ had efore, ut li!ed there,peacefull$ ut at the expense of the est Saxons, until 828. #hen, in their desire to

su:uate completel$ the people of essex, the &anes )ent on the offensi!e. Alfred fouht

ac', $et in 0arch of that $ear he and his follo)ers )ere forced into hidin, and the hope

of the est Saxons )as fadin. "ut that 0a$ Alfred met the &anish force at EdintonF

Gthere he fouht aainst the entire host, and put it to fliht, and pursued it up to the

fortification and laid siee there a fortnihtF and then the host a!e him preliminar$

hostaes and solemn oaths that the$ )ould lea!e his 'indom, and promised him in

addition that their 'in )ould recei!e aptismF and the$ fulfilled this promiseG %After the

!ictor$ he allo)ed the &anes to 'eep their conDuests in East Anlia 0ercia pro!ided that

*uthrum, their 'in, )as con!erted to -hristianit$ 7 I o) $our *ods.B+. Alfred had

defeated the in!adin &anes, forcin them to sumit to his terms. #he$ suseDuentl$ leftAlfred and essex, turnin to the continent for ne) lands to plunder. ?et thouh this

particular force left, &anes still inhaited "ritainF (orthumria, East Anlia, and parts of

0ercia )ere all still under the &anela). Alfred felt constantl$ threatened, and had to fiht

s'irmishes )ith the &anes for man$ $ears. #o help preser!e his hardearned peace Alfred

de!eloped stroner defenses for his land of essex. In the southern part of "ritain he

estalished se!eral ne) fortified cities, etter than the smaller forts, )here reat roups of

people could ather for protection. @e reoranied his arm$ so that at an$ one time half of

it )as prepared for )ar. inall$, in 886, Alfred too' the initiati!e himself and attac'ed the

&anishheld cit$ of 9ondon in an attempt to diminish the lands ruled under the &anela).

@e succeeded, and for his efforts all the GAnles and Saxons those )ho had formerl$ een

scattered e!er$)here and )ere not in capti!it$ )ith the &anes turned )illinl$ to 4in

Alfred and sumitted themsel!es to his lordshipG. At this point Alfred seems to ha!e come

closest to rihtl$ earnin the title G4in of Enland,G thouh in realit$ he o!erned perhaps

a Duarter of the land no) 'no)n as Enland. In 8;< AlfredHs peace )as distured $ the

!iolent return of the &anes. #hese in!aders, dri!en off the continent, seemed intent upon

Gthe final conDuest and settlement of EnlandG. @is standin arm$ )as ale to fiht off the

in!aders )hile the people remained safe in his fortified cities. Alfred also emplo$ed ne)

tacticsF he scouted out the enem$ and destro$ed those at sea usin larer )arships of his

o)n desin. #he &anes )ere th)arted at e!er$ turn, and )ere forced to retreat, unfulfilled,

from the island of "ritain.


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-. OE ROSE OTHER THA KIG AL$RE!,S TRASLATIOS

6. OE RELIGIOUS OETR* (CAE!"O& C*EUL$)

a. -aedmon )as a mon'. @e )rote a short poem #he @$mnB to *od. It has nine lines and is

a t$pical reliious poem. It uses oth paan and -hristian themes. It celerates *od, an

earthl$ lord 7 hes not a supernatural ein ut a paan hero. In the h$mn a narrator is the

poet himself and is as'ed to compose a son. @e oes to the stale to et an inspiration. @e

ets a !ision aout *od and returns and tells the poem of randeur.. -aedmun is also said to e the author of *enesisB

c. -$ne)ulf )as also a mon', etter in techniDue than -aedmon. @is reliious poems are

preser!ed in runes on parchment paper. @e )rote "ilical paraphrases, paraphrased stories

from the "ile i.e. #he AscensionB, #he ate of the ApostlesB, EleneB,... #hus also

)omen are rouht into literature. @e ma'es references to the classical, Ancient tradition.

@is poems are complex, meditati!e, and philosophical.

/. THE !REA" O$ THE ROO!

a. #he rood stands for the cross. #his poem is of a ne) enre 7 a dream !ision enre. In this

enre, theres al)a$s the spea'ers dream. #he poem is di!ided into < parts3

the spea'er has a dream, spea's aout it. #he personified cross tal's aoutitself from the time it )as a tree and aout carr$in Jesus.

the cross addresses the spea'er, ures him to o around the )orld to spread

the cult of the cross.

the spea'er )a'es up and decides to follo) the dream.

#he cross ecomes an icon, a reliious s$mol, an icon not necessaril$ connected to

-hristianit$ ut as an instrument of findin the meanin of mans life.

. THE A!ERER & THE SEA$ARER (e2i3re4i5iu 7e2)

a. #@E A(&ERER %an existential, secular poem+ #he feudal lord descries his sufferin

)hen he )anders the )orld )ithout aim. @e suffers ecause hes )ithout his 'in. @e is

not a elie!er in *od. @e totall$ accepts his fate )ithout desire to chane it. @e feelslonel$, isolated. @e has to tra!el throuh cold, ad )eather.

. #@E SEAARER 7 a lon description of life on the sea contrasts the life of the seaman to

someone on the land. An important feature is the spirit of ad!entures, )hich are

s$molical. #he seafarer descries his life ac' in the mainland he doesnt li'e.

c. #hemes in common3 exile %forced, !oluntar$+

isolation %ps$chical !s. ph$sical+

last sur!i!or

transience

stoicism, faith

8. OE O3RELIGIOUS& SECULAR OETR*

a. idsithB 7 spea'in aout ro)th in societ$. Its important to praise ood and criticie

ad 'ins, preser!e the heroic deeds of a nation. =oems are important for transmittin

'no)lede from one eneration to another.

. #he Ruin and the RiddlesB 7 apocal$ptic attitude.

c. #he ifes 9amentB K #he @usands 0essaeB 7 she complains aout her life in

marriae and her role in societ$ 7 a deate %the sons are complementar$+.

d. #he hale and enixB 7 the$ represent icons representin transcendence %spiritual

presence in nature+. (ature is s$molied in animals.

e. Eleies 7 to a 'ind )ho died, the$ examine the purpose of mans lifeF stoc' metaphor the

sparro) flihtB


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10. OE HEROIC 'ERSE& TRA!ITIO

a. #he hero is the main protaonist.

. #he epic tends to e !er$ narrati!e and lon, there are man$ e!ents

c. #he Scandina!ian tries rouht alliteration to Enland %an alliteratin sound 7 a sta!e+

d. #he asic unit )as a relati!el$ short !erse consistin of !ar$in numer of s$llales at least

one of )hich )as accented. #he accents )ere rammatical. #he t$pical E !erse consisted

of t)o halflines called heme stiches %half lines )ith a caesura+. #he first part )as called

the (!erse, the second the !erse. #he$ )ere lin'ed toether $ the alliteration.

e. @eitis )ere used as sustitutions of one noun for another. Instead of sa$in the spear,the$d sa$ )ood or ashes.

f. 4ennins are the descripti!e compounds of the heroic !erse.

11. BEOUL$ STRUCTURE& RE$ERECE TO THE SOCIAL COTE9T& CRITICAL

AROACHES& ST*LISTIC !E'ICES& I"AGER*

a. Structure3 a lon narrati!e poem

>> lines of !erse rouped into L< fitsB

; different parts %se!eral authorsM+

. Reference3 #he external daner is o:ecti!ied in the monster *rendel. It

o:ecti!ies the internal )ea'ness of the &anish societ$. #he reasons

for destruction are inailit$ to preser!e t$pical feudal relationships,asence of lo$alt$ et)een &anes is present.

c. -ritics3 &escriin !alues i.e. courae, lo$alt$, fame throuh heroic deeds,

noilit$, enealo$.

a strule et)een the forces of oodness !s. e!il 7 imaes of liht

!s. dar'ness.

clash et)een chaos and reason

"eo)ulf is a paan hero

d. St$listic de!ices3 the sea is referred to as the path of )hales, a couh of )a!es

!ariation in the description repeats the information from the

first line in the second line, ut no sustantial information is

added 7 'ennin %seaoer, rindispenser+. 4ennins )ereaddin ne), sinificant information

understatement, a description of a person, o:ect $ statin its

neati!e, opposite, )as freDuentl$ used.

e. Imaer$3 exchane of liht dar'ness

thesis antithesis

some e!ents, names trul$ existed

the elements of doom, destin$

the daner does not lie in the external realit$ ut also in the unit$ of

the 'indom.

f. #hemes3 ood 'in

oodness pre!ails

lood relationship %fratricide, patricide+

re!ene, compensation

transience of life %-hristian addition+ 7 do ood in this )orld and

$oull e repaid.

"E Literature


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1. THE OR"A CO#UEST (LAGUAGE& LITERATURE !E'ELEO"ET)

a. #he (ormans in!aded and conDuered "ritain %the$ )ere the aristocrac$+.

. A radual disappearance of the E lanuae.

c. 1>N of the population )as the (ormans, )ho spo'e a particular (ormanrench dialect.

d. "ilinual, icultural situation 7 amalamation of the t)o in the 1;thcent.

e. #he (ormans )ere the superstratum, the AnloSaxons )ere the stratum.

f. Enlish estalished itself as a national lanuae and )as reatl$ enriched 7 there )ereman$ )ords ta'en from rench. "ecause of reat difficulties the (ormans simplified the

lanuae, rammar, !ocaular$, pronunciation.

. #he rench influences also resulted in ne) literar$ themes 7 no loner heroic reliious

themes ut medie!al themes i.e. courtl$ lo!e, chi!alr$, the -hurch.

h. Enland ecame part of the European tradition.

i. #he ne) Enlish asored not onl$ rench ut also other Roman lanuae features...

:. 5 dialects3 (orthumrian, Eastmidland %9ondon+, estmindland, Southern 4entish,

(orthern.

'. -anterur$ ecomes the ne) monastic centre.

%. THE BEE!ICTIE RE'I'AL (UL$STA)a. Soon after the (orman -onDuest, the "enedictines tried to preser!e the E tradition.

. #he re!i!al lasted onl$ a short time.

c. #he feudal s$stem )as rouht to perfection.

. EUROEA I$LUECES O "E LITERATURE

a. #he literature seemed to reflect the dilemma et)een personal feelins and social demands.

#his clash is often the theme of literar$ )or's of that period.

. Alliterati!e line )as replaced $ s$llaic lines %accentual+.

c. Alleorical presentation ecomes the main presentation of realit$.

d. #he ideal trades of a 'niht3 courtes$

enerosit$ courae

lo$alt$

piet$

e. "ecause of the -rusades 'nihts ecame reed$, materialistic, and !iolent 7 chi!alr$ ideal

)as in decline.

f. #he literature )as multilinual 7 rench, 0iddle Enlish, 9atin.

+. "E SCHOLARSHI

a. In the @ih 0iddle Aes learnin de!eloped and )as oranied into t)o parts in

uni!ersities3 tri!ium %rammar, rhetoric, loic+

Duadrium %astronom$, music, arithmetic, eometr$+

. hat )as of sole importance )as ho) thins )ere presented not their actual content.

c. All the < su:ects contriuted to articulation and presentation.

d. 9iterar$ oriinalit$ )as of minor importance, since prescried rules of expression had to e

follo)ed.

e. E!er$thin depended on the art of communication and on the relationship et)een the

reader and the )riter.

f. #he )riter )as a)are of the taret audience.

. Scholastic matters )ere internationalied.


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-. COURTL* LO'E A! ITS I$LUECE (RO"ATIC LO'E)

a. #he influence came from the southern rance and Ital$ %"occaccio, &ante+

. #his ideal )as ased on a t)ofold concept3

#he medie!al 'niht had to e couraeous, ale to pro!e himself in lo!e,

ainin a )oman $ oe$in her. #his attitude )as an idealiation. @e )as

in a !assal position.

-onsummation and sensualit$. Adulter$ )as permitted. i.e. *uene!er K

9ancelot !s. Arthur

c. *eoffre$ -haucer )as the est author )ho used courtl$ lo!e in Enlish literature. @e is!er$ ironical and critical aout this concept. @e added that this lo!e is also destructi!e.

d. In ictorian period courtl$ lo!e )as tri!ialied and made fun of.

e. -ourtl$ lo!e postulated lo!e as the main principle and the main aim. It reDuired discretion.

f. 0arriaes )ere prearraned, there )as no freedom for true feelins and the adulter$ )as

allo)ed. =rocreation )as seen as the main o:ecti!e.

. #his concept found the est expression in3 complaints

da)n sons

sons

h. #here )ere prescried )a$s of descriin lo!e %codification+ Andreas -apellanus 7 #he

Art of 9o!in

6. "E LITERAR* : CRITICAL ITERRETATIO A! THE TECHI#UES O$

RITIG

a. It )as usuall$ carried out on < le!els3 littera 7 literal le!el

sensus 7 no metaphirs %meanin+

sententia 7 s$molic, metaphorical

interpretation %sentence+

. rench and 9atin authors !id, @orace, -icero,eril,... affected the techniDues of )ritin.

c. Rhetorical aspects are hihl$ !alued.

d. Arranin the material )as of hih importance. #he author )ith a reat deal of authorit$

%auctoritee+ )as hihl$ !alued.

e. riters )ere limited in their treatment of certain su:ect or theme. #he$ had to follo) therules. #he$ had to use ps$choloicall$ credile characters, ut the plot and its oriinalit$

)ere of minor importance.

f. #he stor$ could e eun in t)o )a$s3 a natural )a$ %chronoloical order+

an artificial )a$ %sophisticated+

. A text could ein )ith a pro!er or exemplum, )ith a fale, in medias resB, or a

flashac' could e used.

h. #he material could e arraned in t)o )a$s3 amplification %a comparison,

apostrophe, diression, lon

description %leapinandlinerin

narration+

are!iation

2. 0E LITERAR* GERES

a. A dream !ision 7 %Roman de la Rose+ 7 #he narrator eins the stor$ $ complainin aout

his ailit$ to sleep. Inailit$ to sleep is the frame)or' of the stor$. #hen he falls asleep and

)a'es up in a dream and has a !ision. It usuall$ ta'es place in sprin a arden. #here the

narrator is ta'en $ a uide to a place )here se!eral people are in!ol!ed in a deate. #hen

the narrator )a'es up and recalls his dream !ision, deates aout it and tra!els into the

)orld to tell others aout it. It can e of reliious and secular nature.

. A deate 7 an exchane of !ie)s et)een t)o people, animals, or !oices %soul od$+ 7

#he )l and the (ihtinale.c. A east fale 7 ta'en from an animal )orld and modelled on Aesops animal fales

%applied to a human )orld+. aliaux )ere !er$ humorous, satirical.

d. A allad 7 a lon narrati!e poem usin refrains, dialoues, !ernacular lanuae.


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e. An exemplum 7 a short tale pointin to a certain moral or illustratin a certain doctrine.

f. A la$ 7 a short narrati!e poem %a contrast to a allad+.

. A chronicle 7 containin historical facts, can also e fictional.

h. #he life of a saint 7 the life of a man/ )oman )ho later ecame a saint is descried.

i. A romance 7 oriinall$ meant onl$ )or's )ritten in rench, ut later in all Roman

lanuaes. It )as later applied to a medie!al stor$ descriin the deeds of 'nihts.

. RO"ACE A! ITS !E'ELO"ET

a. It dealt )ith the deeds of 'nihts.. It )as an aristocratic literar$ enre.

c. #he plot )as !er$ important, ecause the ideals of the 'nihthood )ere expressed in it.

d. ith the decline of 0E !alues romances descried the decline of these !alues and of

'nihtl$ moralit$.

e. It )as called an escapist literature of the period.

f. #he romance features an ideal 'niht )ho sho)s his courae in the attles )ith

supernatural eins as )ell as natural soldiers %a mixture of natural and supernatural

elements+.

. #he courae of an ideal 'niht is tested in spiritual and ph$sical )a$.

h. rom toda$s point of !ie) romances )ere exaerated and romantic.

i. Romances $ -hrOtien de #ro$es dealt )ith the m$thical 'in Arthur and expressed theideals of rench chi!alr$.

:. Jean "odel di!ided all romances into three su:ectmatters3

the matter of rance3 rench 'in -harles the *reat and his 'nihts

%Roland+

the matter of "ritain3 'in Arthur and his 'nihts of the Round #ale K non

Arthurian romance %4in @orn, @a!eloc'+

the matter of Rome3 Julius -aesar, Alexander the *reatF Rome, #hees,

#ro$

8. THE ARTHURIA RO"ACE (THE STA;AIC A! THE ALLITERATI'E

'ERSIO& THO"AS "ALOR*)

a. e ha!e 4in Arthur, his 'nihts, his )ife *uene!ere, 0erlin li!in in A!alon.. #he first romance aout 4in Arthur )as )ritten $ Roert ace of Jerse$ 7 Roman de

"rut, later translated $ 9a$amon 7 "rutB. It )as )ritten in an alliterati!e !erse.

c. #he alliterati!e !ersion of the romance is called 0orte Arthure %1Lthcent.+. It consists of 6

parts. In this !ersion a stron patriotic feelin is expressed. Alfred is descried as arroant,

couraeous, and thirst$ for lood. @e dies in the end ecause of his nephe) 0ordreds

treason. @e is uried in inchester. #he main prolems of his 'indom )ere the d$nastic

strules.

d. #he stanaic !ersion is )ritten in stanas consistin of 8 lines %t$pical of rench romance+

and is entitled 0orte Arthur. #his !ersion is more compressed, ecause it is a reminiscent

of a allad %the leapinandlinerin narration+. 4nihts are not lo$al to their 'in.

e. Sir #homas 0alor$ )rote the most important )or' on Arthurian romance 9e 0orte

&Arthur in 1L2>. It )as pulished $ illiam -axton )ho also added his o)n preface.

#his )as an extensi!e !ersion of an Arthurian romance. 0alor$ considered the stor$ more

important than the structure or the ac'round. #he stor$ consists of 8 parts and throuhout

the stress is on courtl$ lo!e et)een *uene!ere and 9ancelot.

10. COURTL* O'ELS

11. SIR GAAI A! THE GREE KIGHT (tructure& inter7retatin)

a. #his romance is )ritten in the ne), de!eloped alliterati!e !erse, ut not in the E

alliterati!e line. #he alliterati!e re!i!al )as reatl$ influenced $ the rench poetr$ and

!ersification 7 e!er$ line contained one thouht. #here is also no caesura. #his romance isased on a -eltic leend, namel$ the sacrifice of )inter to assure the return of sprin. #he

sacrifice is ained throuh the eheadin of the *reen 4niht, a supernatural creature,

)hose miraculous appearance in the castle represents a challene to the 4nihts of the


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Round #ale. #he romance consists of t)o plots, #he "eheadin *ame and #he

temptations of the 9ad$.It is )ritten in the tradition of courtl$ lo!e, celeratin chi!alr$,

truth, lo$alt$, piet$, sexual chastit$, restrain. #he frame )or' techniDues is used toether

)ith man$ Arthurian elements, characters. Also supernatural elements are present. Animals

ha!e a s$molic !alue. #here are also man$ dramatic scenes i.e. lo!e scenes etc.

1%. GEO$$RE* CHAUCER (I$LUECES& "AI ORKS& THE CATERBUR* TALES&

THE GEERAL ROLOGUE)

a. @is lanuae estalished the 9ondon dialect as a linuistic norm 7 0odern Enlish.. @e )as a diplomat, tra!eller, courtier, translator, and poet.

c. @e emplo$ed the frame)or' of a dream!ision.

d. @e translated the alleorical )or' #he Romaunt of the Rose.

e. @e )rote3 #he "oo' of the &uchess.

#he @ouse of ame, ased on classical m$tholo$.

#he =arlement of ouls %a dream!ision+ 7 criticism of the concept of

courtl$ lo!e.

#he -anterur$ #ales %1>+.

#he siee of #ro$, #roilus and -rise$de.

f. @e )as influenced $ an earlier medie!al philosopher "oethius 7 -onsolation of

=hilosoph$.. #he -anterur$ #ales consist of ;L tales in !arious enres. #he$ are introduced $ #he

*eneral =roloue 7 pilrimae a competition in tale tellin. Some important tales are

#he 4nihts #aleB, #he ife of "aths #aleB,... @e uses realistic descriptions,

concentrates on details. =ilrims are the stereot$pes. @e uses satire and iron$.

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