THE ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD

- historic background:

 approximately the six centuries from 410-1066AD

 original inhabitants – Britons (→ Britain), 55 BC – 410 AD (Celtic people)
 410 - England colonised by Germanic tribes - 3 tribes: (Angles, Saxons (major)
and Jutes (minor)
- Angles the main (Angle Land → England)
 some of the Britons stayed and mixed with the invaders, some of them pushed
away to Wales and Scotland
 all dialects were combined to one mutual language – Old English (= combination
of Briton language + Germanic tribes language)
 Britons – christians (thanks to st. Augustin who tried in 5th century to convert all
Europe to christianity)
Germanic tribes – pagans (paganism = everyone who isn´t christian, mostly
polytheistic – pohané)

- literary characteristics
 almost nothing remarkable - why?
1) this period known as Dark Ages – Britain in constant war with many invaders
coming in (Vikings for instance), no time for literature – little scientific and
cultural advancement
2) no printing press
3) majority of work lost due to oral transmission
 everything is known today thanks to preserved manuscripts

GENRES: epic poetry, Bible translations, chronicles, riddles, legal works (laws, wills)

POETRY:
 heroic – germanic tribes, they didn’t believe in god- talked about heroism
 religious – Britons, christianity, cross – dominant symbol
 the most distinguishing feature of Old English poetry - alliterative verse style
= the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected
words
 also assonance (= repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together) or
metaphors
Cædmon
- earliest English poet whose name is known
- Cædmon's Hymn - 9 line poem, oldest surviving English poem
- work based mostly on the Old Testament
Cynewulf – poet
- one of the main figures of Anglo-Saxon Christian poetry
- work based mostly on the New Testament
BEOWULF
 unknown author, was probably composed c. 700–750
 considered the highest achievement of Old English literature
 epic poem, Germanic heroic legend, first english epic
 the story is set in pagan Scandinavia in the 6th century
1st part: A young Geatish (= member of an ancient Germanic people of southern Sweden)
warrior named Beowulf comes to Denmark to help the king Hrothgar to fight a monster
named Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel. After Grendel's death Grendel's mother comes for
revenge and Beowulf kills her too. After being rewarded by Hrothgar he returns back to
Geatland (southern Sweden).
2nd part: After 50 years. Beowulf is a king of Geatland. Some thief woke up a dragon
who was guarding a treasure. The dragon began fiery destruction upon the Geats.
Beowulf fights him with the help of Wiglaf and kills him. But Beowulf has received a
mortal wound. He dies and is ritually burned on a great funeral pyre.

PROSE
 first appears in the 9th century
 legal writings, medical tracts, religious texts
 translations from Latin and other languages. Particularly notable is the Anglo-
Saxon Chronicle, a historical record begun about the time of King Alfred’s reign
(871–899) and continuing for more than three centuries.

CHRISTIANITY AND CHRISTIAN CULTURE

- the same period of time, just looking closely to christianity
 597 – the monk Augustine of Canterbury became the first Archbishop of
Canterbury

 The Venerable Bede (672–735) (= respected)

- an english monk
- his most famous work, Ecclesiastical History of the English People (one of the
classical texts that tells the story of the English, and British people), gained him
the title “The Father of English History”

 Alfred the Great (849–901)

- king of Wessex, respected for defending country against Vikings
- translated several books (many of them religious) from Latin into Old English
- wanted to promote English culture - students educated in Old English and those
who excelled should learn Latin
- his works more educational than artistic
- translated Gregory the Great's The Pastoral Care - a manual for priests on how
to conduct their duties
  1066 - king Harold II of England was defeated by the invading Norman forces of
William the Conqueror, the end of the Anglo-Saxon period

 from now on MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE

- from the late 12th century until the 1470s
= literature written in the form of the English language known as Middle English
- Middle English developed from Old English, French, Old Norse and Latin
- French became standard after the Norman conquest of England
- texts much closer to Modern English

 JOHN WYCLIFF
- criticised the Catholic church, forerunner of the Protestant Reformation
- the Church had fallen into sin and should give up its property and live in poverty
- said that Bible should be for everyone, then was persecuted - an inspiration for
Jan Hus
 first translation of Bible – from Latin to English (for uneducated people)

RENAISSANCE AND HUMANISM

 renaissance is a French word meaning “rebirth” (but originated in Italy)
 refers to a period in European civilization that was marked by a revival of
classical (antique) wisdom
 transformed society from darkness to light
 the main philosophy is humanism
 HUMANISM = an approach to life focused on humans, their rights and moral
values

 Geoffrey Chaucer (1345? – 1400)

- "the father of English literature", the greatest poet of English middle ages
- best known for The Cantebury Tales
THE CANTEBURY TALES
- collection of 24 stories, presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of
pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury (prize is a free meal)
- visiting the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral – one of the most important centres of pilgrimage in
Medieval England, significance at both a religious and political level, importance
increased after the murder of Thomas Becket there in 1170.

- Group of 31 pilgrims including Chaucer himself - a cross-section of his society,

from a knight and prioress (female monk), to a carpenter and cook, from a much-
married wife of Bath to a bawdy mille (prostitute)
- diversity of class and character is the keynote of his collection (The Knight's
Tale, The Miller's Tale, The Reeve's Tale, The Cook's Tale, The Man of Law's Tale,
 The Wife of Bath's Tale, The Friar's Tale, The Summoner's Tale, The Clerk's Tale,
etc.)
- the way he exploits this fact creates a text in which he not only represents the
diversity of contemporary (současné) society but also has the opportunity to depict
conflict and rivalry between different trades - we are able to reconstruct the life
in Middle Ages

- Canterbury Cathedral – was one of the most important centres of pilgrimage in

Medieval England, significance at both a religious and political level, importance
increased after the murder of Thomas Becket there in 1170.

 1476 William Caxton the first person to introduce a printing press into England,
and as a printer to be the first English retailer of printed books.
(around 1440 Johannes Gutenberg invented)

 Sir Thomas More (1478 – 1535) – Utopia

- the first person to write of a 'utopia', a word used to describe a perfect
imaginary world
- newly discovered island where the inhabitants live happily in a social order
based on natural reason and justice, and human fulfilment is open to all
- Raphael the traveller describes the island to More – visible and bitter contrast
- in Utopia, there is no greed, corruption, or power struggles due to the fact that
there is no money or private property