A History of Literature Old and Middle English c. 657 - c.

1500
Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote
Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is
arguably the most important work to survive
from the Middle Ages. Written in Middle
The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
1470 At Camelot lay the King...
C. 657 English, it is a secular (not religious) piece of
writing which provides us with a cross-section
of medieval society from the Fourteenth
Of which vertu engendred is the flour

Le Morte D’Arthur by Thomas Malory is a

Caedmon’s Hymn is the oldest
surviving work in English, whose
author is known. The poem is a nine
line alliterative lyric poem, the only
surviving segment of what is
believed to be a much longer work.
Caedmon was a herdsman who
worked at Whitby Abbey, in North
Yorkshire. His name has been passed
down to us by the first English
Historian, a monk at the Abbey, the
Venerable Bede. It is a Christian
poem praising the glory of God.
Century. Based around the premise of a hugely important work in its influence on
disparate group of pilgrims travelling to English Literature. It is an early prose work.
Canterbury, Chaucer is able to satirise his own Most literature at this time was written in
contemporary society and experiment with a verse. Its significance is in its compiling the
selection of different short stories, each of legends of King Arthur (the legendary King of
which delivers a moral message or highlights a England who proved he would be king when
flaw in his society. he pulled a sword out of a stone). These tales
were compiled from a series of earlier French
and English sources. This work has been a
source material influencing those who re- Le Morte D’Arthur was printed in 1485 by William Caxton, who
[nuː ˈskʲylun ˈherjɑn ˈhevænriːkʲæs wɑrd write stories from Arthurian Legend from the brought the printing press to England. The first book printed by
metudæs ˈmæxti end his ˈmoːdɣiðɔŋk
werk ˈwuldurfɑdur sweː heː ˈwundrɑ ɣiˈhwæs C. 1400 Nineteenth Century onwards. Writers such as
Tennyson used Malory as their primary
source.
Caxton was in 1473, just twelve years prior to Malory’s work being
printed. Before this date all literature had to be copied by hand.

The Revelations of Divine Love, by

Julian of Norwich, is the earliest
C. 1400 The Book of Margery Kempe is often
classified as the first autobiography in
The Somyninge of Everyman, more commonly
referred to as Everyman, is a late medieval
morality play, written in Middle English. It is
surviving work in English written by a Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a English. Margery Kempe was an English
based around a group of allegorical characters
woman. Julian was an anchoress, a 2530 line poem which reinforces the mystic and pilgrim. The book details her

C. 700 - 1000 religious nun, who lived in

permanent seclusion in a cell
attached to St Julian’s Church in
importance of Arthurian Legend to
English Literature. Set in the court of
King Arthur, Sir Gawain accepts an
life, travels and pilgrimages. This is
another important early work by a
woman. It is believed to be one of the
and tells the story of Everyman’s salvation, so
that he — a sinful man — can save his soul and
go to Heaven. Everyman was apparently
performed regularly for the seventy five years
Norwich. When she wrote her unusual challenge from a Green Knight. best insights into female middle class life
following its publication, but because of its
revelations, her gender identity was The aftermath of their conflict results in a in the Middle Ages.
Catholic doctrine, it ceased to be performed
Beowulf is perhaps the oldest surviving long poem in English Literature. It is suppressed, so that people did not series of challenges: tests of temptation,
during the English Reformation.
written in the West Saxon dialect, an early form of English spoken in and around originally realise that it had been which Sir Gawain must resist in order to
the South West of England. It is an epic poem, which recounts events that took written by a woman. prove his moral virtue. This is very typical
place around the 6th Century. It tells the story of the hero Beowulf and his battle of stories of the chivalric tradition. It is a
against the monster Grendel. It probably draws on pre-existing folklore, which
formed part of the oral tradition. It is part of an epic tradition in which noble and
courageous warriors battle the forces of evil. C. 1373
very popular medieval story and
retellings have been created by both J R
R Tolkien and Simon Armitage.
C. 1490
#MET03: To nurture the enjoyment of learning through the cultivation of a St Christopher's 6 Cs:
positive mindset, curiosity, resilience, and perseverance. Creativity
Julian of Norwich lived through turbulent times. During her lifetime, The Black Death was raging across Europe and reached Old and Middle English texts have been hugely influential on more recent writers. Everyman, for example, is one of the earliest
Norwich, killing about half the population. She also lived through the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 when, led by Wat Tyler, a group of surviving examples of a morality play, a format which has been used down the centuries and on which many later writers modelled
rebels from Kent attacked London, killing anyone associated with Royal Government. Despite this, Julian demonstrated resilience their work. Both Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and J B Priestley’s An Inspector Calls can be considered morality stories.
to overcome these obstacles and create her magnum opus, The Revelations of Divine Love.