Middle English

Literature
 Geoffrey Monmouth (…-1154)
medieval English chronicler and bishop of St. Asaph (1152)
Major work: Historia regum Britanniae (History of the Kings
of Britain),
brought the figure of Arthur into European literature
neither a history book nor a literature, more like a source book
collected legends and aided chiefly by his imagination
successful at that time because it made Normans and Saxons
proud of their country
gave a new direction to the literature of England by showing
the wealth of poetry and romance
 Layamon’s Brut (c.1200)
Layamon, the first who wrote as an Englishmen for
Englishmen
A priest by occupation
Brut, the first important English rhyming chronicles
a history of Britain from the earliest times to his day.
The language is that of the West Midlands and the poem
is written in alliterative verse
 Metrical Romances
The most popular literary expression of that time
3 great literary ideals: love, chivalry and religion
The Normans first brought these romances into England
Expressed the romantic spirit of that time
Form: a long series of poems treating of love or knightly
adventure or both.
Hero: A knight
Other characters: fair ladies in distress, warriors in
armors, giants, dragons, enchanters and various enemies
of Church and State
 The Age of Chaucer (1350-1400)
Two great movements noted in the complex life of
England during the 14th century- political & social.
Political: reign of Edward III. It shows the growth of the
English national spirit following the victories of Edward
and the Black Prince on French soil during the Hundred
Years’ War. The French language lost its prestige and
English became the speech of both common people and
Parliament.
Social: falls largely within the reign of Richard II. It
marks the growing discontent between luxury and poverty.
 Five writers of the Age
Geoffrey Chaucer- scholar, traveler, business man,
courtier, reflected his experience in his literature
William Langland- voiced the social discontent and
preached the equality of men and the dignity of labour
Wyclif- greatest English religious reformer
Gower- criticised the vigorous life
John Mandeville- the traveler, romancing about the
wonders to be seen abroad
 Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1340-1400)
The major poet of England in the late Middle Ages and the most
significant writer before Shakespeare.
Born and educated in London
 Chaucer served in the court and the army and went abroad on
diplomatic missions.
His oeuvre can be divided into three periods, an early one based on
French models, such as the Roman de la rose, and which contains the
allegorical Book of the duchess (1369).
 The second period lasted to about 1387 and is characterised by his use
of Italian models above all Dante and Boccaccio. The main works of
this period are The house of fame, which concerns the adventures of
Aeneas after the fall of Troy, The parliament of fowls, a story about the
mating of birds on St. Valentine’s Day, The legend of good women (an
unfinished work on classical heroines and Troilus and Criseyde, for
which he drew on Boccaccio.
 Works of Chaucer
1st PERIOD:
Romaunt of the Rose (translation from the French, Roman de la
Rose)
“Dethe of Blanche the Duchess” (“Boke of the Duchess”
“Compleynte to Pite”
2nd PERIOD
Troilus and Criseyde-a poem of 8,000 lines
“The Hous of Fame”- unfinished
Legende of Goode Wimmen
 3rd period
The Canterbury Tales- one of the most famous works in
English literature
Unfinished yet succeeded in his purpose of giving a
picture of contemporary English life
“Prologue” to the Canterbury Tales