Characteristics of Middle English literature

Middle English literature refers to English literature that developed during the roughly 300-year period
from 1150 CE to around 1450. During this period, English gained widespread popularity among people in
every stratum of society. Some important characteristics of Middle English literature are given below:

1. Religiosity

Religion occupies an important place in Middle English literature, as it was an important element of
social life in the medieval ages. Morality plays were popular in Europe. They used allegorical stories to
teach a moral message, underpinned by Christian teachings. The characters personified abstract
qualities of goodness and evil, virtue and vice, which engaged in a battle to win the soul of the 'mankind'
figure.

2. Mystery plays

The Mystery Plays were a great medieval tradition in York, a way of bringing religious messages to the
streets of the City and a huge celebration. They were performed on the day of the great medieval
festival of the Feast of Corpus Christi. This fell 60 days after Easter, in May or June. One of the most
widely known Mystery plays is The Second Shepherd's Play, which puts three shepherds at the birth of
Christ in Bethlehem. It emphasizes everyday life during the middle ages and juxtaposes the shepherd's
story with that of Christ's, setting the secular and religious world side by side.

3. Romance

Romance is another important characteristic of Middle English literature. Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight, King Horn, Athelston, Gamelyn, and Sir Orfeo are the best examples of medieval romance.

4. Derivative Stories

Originality was not a major requirement of medieval authors. Story material, in particular, was looked
upon as communal property and the notion of intellectual property did not yet exist. To have based
one’s work on an old, authoritative source was a virtue. It led Geoffrey of Monmouth and other great
writers to claim such a source when none existed. It is not surprising that this attitude raised translation
to the level of the original creation.

5. Society

For most of the Middle Ages, European society was almost entirely rural, with a very simple social
structure: nobles at the top, peasants at the bottom, and very few people in between. During the later
part of the period, however, trade expanded and towns became larger and more numerous. More
people joined the “middle classes” between peasants and lords: such groups as merchants, craftsmen,
shopkeepers, and so on and literature was influenced by it.

6. Oral Quality

Another important characteristic of Middle English Literature is its oral quality. Most of the Middle
English literature was meant to be listened to rather than read. As there were no printing facilities in
those days, most of the literature was memorized. People used to memorize and retell poems or stories
instead of reading. One of the things that hindered the spread of literacy among the general public was
the unavailability of books, which were so expensive that common people could not afford to buy them.