ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD

After the fall of Rome, Germanic tribes battled their way in Britain. The Jutes came from the
East, Vandals and Visigoths from the south, and the Angles and Saxons from the north. The
Germanic tribes were organized in tribes rather than states and the warmer, rich farmlands,
and wealth of Roman lands attracted the. This period was marked by bloody conflicts,
ignorance, violence, and barbarism, thus the name, “Dark Ages.” These tribes destroyed
houses, brutally killed enemies, had no written rules, which is why the Romans looked on them
as uncivilized barbarians.

Towards the end of the period, the Angles and Saxons were the ruling tribe in Britain. The
Angles became the most powerful tribe, thus Britain was later called “Angle land” or England.
The term English was named after the language spoken by the Angles – Angleish. The Anglo-
Saxon period was also a time of creativity and dynamic change. Arts and crafts flourished and
trade and communication took place locally and abroad. Society was divided in several social
classes at the top of which was the king. The division of classes and roles of people were
dependent on land owned, which made slavery one of this period’s biggest commercial
enterprise.

As such, literature reflected the serious temperament of the Germanic people and the bleak
environment they were in. Life was difficult and most stories and poems present heroic
struggles in which the strong survive. Oral tradition was the common mode of literary
expression. Anglo-Saxons gathered in mead halls to celebrate successful battles or expeditions.
The scop, a professional minstrel or singer, entertained the audience with retelling of stories of
adventures. The most popular epic from the Anglo-Saxon period is Beowulf.

MEDIEVAL PERIOD

In 1066, William of Normandy defeated the last Anglo-Saxon king, Harold, at the Battle of
Hastings. During William’s rule, he centralized power by appointing representatives to collect
taxes, supervise legal activities and administrative matters, and organize the military. Feudalism
was introduced in England. In this system, a feudal king owned all of the land and distributed
tracts of lands called fiefs to his followers in exchange for their service and obedience. This
system dominated the early Medieval Period until the 13th to 14th century. In the late 14th
century, feudalism declined because of several factors: development of wool industry, the
growth of towns, the Black Death, the Hundred Years’ War, and the rise of the Tudor
Monarchy.

The Catholic Church was the most powerful institution during this period and was considered
the unifying force of the age. Cathedrals which characterized architectural creativity were
constructed; the Church sponsored Crusades to recapture the Holy Land from Moslems; and
trade and new ideas were introduced to England as an effect. However, the wealth and

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influence of the Church inspired the jealousy of the nobility. As a result, nobles and clergymen
had secret and open clashes and powerplays for control over revenue, government, and
people. In the late Middle Ages, the Church had weakened its political and secular hold on
England due to economic factors, scandals, and abuses. Little literature was produced in
England for nearly 300 years after the Norman Conquest. Latin was the language used by the
clergy, scholars, and lawyers. The feudal nobles wrote and spoke in French. Only the middle or
lower classes spoke English. Few of these people were literate, thus the early traditions were
still oral and dramatic. One of the popular forms of literature was the ballad, a narrative song
that told stories of common folks. Popular, too, were mystery plays based on stories from the
Bible.

Geoffrey Chaucer, “Father of English Literature,” demonstrated the potential of Middle English
as a literary language though his most famous work, The Canterbury Tales. The courtly tradition
of this period was also expressed in romance, and adventurous tale that celebrates chivalry.
Thomas Malory has retold romances of the legendary King Arthur and the knights. William
Caxton, a translator, opened his own printing business in England and had printed almost all
available English literature before he died. This made way for the preservation of English
literature.

RENAISSANCE PERIOD

The Renaissance was an expansionist age that pushed back scholarly, psychological, and
geographical boundaries of the medieval world. Translations of ancient Greek and Latin texts
brought new knowledge of astronomy, botany, medicine, physics, and mathematics, which
stimulated scientific investigation. Technological advances in printing led to a more literate
people than those of the middle ages. Innovations in shipbuilding and invention of navigational
devices made possible geographical expansion.

The greatest literary achievement of this period was the Elizabethan drama. Among the early
playwrights was Christopher Marlowe who explored English as a dramatic medium. He
influenced William Shakespeare, whose works and plays represent the height of dramatic
tradition. During this period, London was the center of literary activity. Elizabethan poetry was
“low key” and appealed to both the intellect and emotions