Lecture 1: Medieval Literature and Medieval Theatre

dr Anna Kisiel
anna.kisiel@us.edu.pl
University of Silesia in Katowice

Timespan of Medieval English Literature

 The Old English period (the Anglo-Saxon period): from the beginnings to 1066
(Norman conquest)
 The Middle English period: 1066 to the Renaissance

Early Medieval Literature

 Early medieval contexts
 Oral literary tradition
 Poetics of medieval orature
 Sources:
o The Exeter Book (including The Wanderer, The Seafarer)
o The Vercelli Book (including The Dream of the Rood)
o Junius manuscript
o Robert Cotton’s manuscript (including Beowulf)
 Early English literature and cultural influences

Beowulf

The Northumbrian Renaissance

• Bede of Northumbria, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
• Caedmon’s Hymn

The Dream of the Rood

“Then saw I mankind’s Lord
come with great courage when he would mount on me.
Then dared I not against the Lord’s word
bend or break, when I saw earth’s
 fields shake. All fiends
I could have felled, but I stood fast.
The young hero stripped himself – he, God Almighty –
strong and stout-minded. He mounted high gallows,
bold before many, when he would loose mankind.”

Political Changes in the 11th Century and Their Aftermath

 The Norman Conquest of 1066
 Cultural aftermath
 Layamon’s (Lawman’s) Brut
 Marie de France

Changes in the 14th Century

 English social classes
 1348 – the Bubonic Plague (the Black Death)
 Consolidation of national identity
 The European scene

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

 Gawain-Poet/Pearl-Poet
 Chivalric romance

Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales

 Significance
 The General Prologue
 The Knight’s Tale vs The Miller’s Tale
 The Miller’s Tale and the carnivalesque (Mikhail Bakhtin)

The Miller’s Tale and the Carnivalesque (excerpt 1)

3723 This Absolon doun sette hym on his knees
This Absolon set himself down on his knees
3724 And seyde, "I am a lord at alle degrees;
And said, "I am a lord in every way;
 3725 For after this I hope ther cometh moore.
For after this I hope there comes more.
3726 Lemman, thy grace, and sweete bryd, thyn oore!"
Sweetheart, thy grace, and sweet bird, thy mercy!”
3727 The wyndow she undoth, and that in haste.
The window she undoes, and that in haste.
3728 "Have do," quod she, "com of, and speed the faste,
"Get done with it," said she, "come on, and hurry up,
3729 Lest that oure neighebores thee espie."
Lest our neighbors espy thee."
3730 This Absolon gan wype his mouth ful drie.
This Absolon wiped his mouth very dry.
3731 Derk was the nyght as pich, or as the cole,
Dark was the night as pitch, or as the coal,
3732 And at the wyndow out she putte hir hole,
And at the window out she put her hole,
3733 And Absolon, hym fil no bet ne wers,
And Absolon, to him it happened no better nor worse,
3734 But with his mouth he kiste hir naked ers
But with his mouth he kissed her naked ass
3735 Ful savourly, er he were war of this.
With great relish, before he was aware of this.
3736 Abak he stirte, and thoughte it was amys,
Back he jumped, and thought it was amiss,
3737 For wel he wiste a womman hath no berd.
For well he knew a woman has no beard.
3738 He felte a thyng al rough and long yherd,
He felt a thing all rough and long haired,
3739 And seyde, "Fy! allas! what have I do?"
And said, "Fie! alas! what have I done?"

The Miller’s Tale and the Carnivalesque (excerpt 2)

3798 This Nicholas was risen for to pisse,
This Nicholas was risen to piss,
 3799 And thoughte he wolde amenden al the jape;
And thought he would make the joke even better;
3800 He sholde kisse his ers er that he scape.
He should kiss his ass before he escapes.
3801 And up the wyndowe dide he hastily,
And he opened up the window hastily,
3802 And out his ers he putteth pryvely
And he puts out his ass stealthily
3803 Over the buttok, to the haunche-bon;
Over the buttock, to the thigh;
3804 And therwith spak this clerk, this Absolon,
And then spoke this clerk, this Absolon,
3805 "Spek, sweete bryd, I noot nat where thou art."
"Speak, sweet bird, I know not where thou art."
3806 This Nicholas anon leet fle a fart
This Nicholas immediately let fly a fart
3807 As greet as it had been a thonder-dent,
As great as if it had been a thunder-bolt,
3808 That with the strook he was almoost yblent;
So that with the stroke he was almost blinded;
3809 And he was redy with his iren hoot,
And he was ready with his hot iron,
3810 And Nicholas amydde the ers he smoot.
And he smote Nicholas in the middle of the ass.

Medieval Theatre
 Mystery plays
 Miracle plays
 Morality plays
 Interludes
 Masques