Presented by :Mrs. Arundhati Dutta Choudhury

Asstt. Professor, Department of EnglishRadhamadhab College

Silchar-788006

A Historical Survey of theDevelopment of English Poetry from

Anglo- Saxon to Middle English period.

Anglo-Saxon poetry—The most profound element in this primitive metrical literature is to be sought in language.

Force (French-strength-English- strengthu-Anglo-Saxon)

It was vigorous in essence but less melodious and the primary character derives from a pre-dominance of consonants. Unlike Modern English, Anglo-Saxon expresses changes of tense, number by various modifications. Anglo-Saxon language was purely rhetorical and the poets made an extensive use of composite words (body-bone chamber, sailor-traveller on the waters etc. )

Old English Period:

Anglo Saxon Literature-- 7th century pagans at their arrival had undergone mass conversion at the end of the century , and the first dated writings appeared at the end of the seventh. The migration of the Germanic peoples into Great Britain was still in process when Christianity was first introduced among them. As early as 597, the monk Augustine came from Rome to convert them and founded in Kent the church of Canterbury.

Anglo Saxon Poetry- its manuscripts, sources and character

Leaving on one side the documentary and practical works like historical, religious, the chronicles, texts of laws and homilies and various translations, we find the exclusively Anglo-Saxon poetical works in four manuscripts (11th century).

1st (Junious Manuscripts)contains the Caedmonian Poems.

2nd (Exeter Manuscripts) contains pious poems, lyrical, elegiac compositions, riddles and sententious verses.

3rd (British Museum Manuscripts) contains Beawulf and Judith.

4th (Vercelli Manuscripts) contains entirely religious poems, metrical lives of saints.

PRE CHRISTIAN AGE includes Beawulf, Deor, Widsith.Lyrical and elegiac poems include The Ruined Burg, The Lover’s Message, The Maiden’s Complaint, TheWanderer, The Seafarer.

The Songs of war include Brunanburh, The Battle of Maldon

Riddles.

 Christian Poetry: The Caedmonian Poems and Judith.

Cynewulf: “Christ” and the Lives of the Saints.

Other Christian Poems include The Bestiary. The Dream of the Rood.

Didactic Poems: The Phoenix.,

1066---The Norman Conquest

French invaders from Normandy imported French literary ideas into Great Britain – Anglo Saxon literature disappeared and was silent for a century . Literature of the 14th century was a fusion of the Anglo Saxons and the Franco- Normans.

French became the language of the court, the schools and the law courts while Latin became the language of the Church and of science. The whole of the 13thcentury is filled with the changes which the Normans brought to the Native language.

Gradually, in 1350, English took the place of French as the language of the schools, in 1362 it became that of the law courts, in 1399 it was used in Parliament for the first time by King Henry iv.

Three centuries after the Norman Conquest, the Anglo- Norman literature that followed, the chief characteristics of French medieval literature was gradually translated and imitated by the English.Literature in English-The Religious Writers:Until the middle of the 14th century, English literature was mainly confined to homilies, sermons, translations of the Bible, prayers etc.1.Poema Morale (1150)- It is a grave and sincere poetical work.2.Ormulum(1200)It is a translation of the Gospels by the monk Orm.3.Cursor Mundi(1320) is a collection of 24 thousand lines of verse and it is a version of the New Testament and its aim is to grow interest in the Bible stories.

Secular Poetry from 1200 to 1350:It was exclusively founded on French works and was inspired by French romances. It has very little originality in matter but the poets preferred their subjects and heroes connected with the land of Britain.Seminal Works:1. Layamon’s Brut- Here Layamon has translated Wace’s Brut into English verse and has chosen Brutus and the famous king Arthur as the national heroes. The poem is an example of a chivalrous romance with a traditional character.2. The Romances of Havelok and Horn were more original in plot, manner and spirit and were inspired by Scandinavian Spirit.3. As early as the middle of the 13thcentury , a curious poem , The Owl and the Nightingale was written. It is an allegorical debate between an owl and a nightingale who discuss the rival merit of their song.

Cycle of Romances:

Middle English Metrical Romances: (Poetry in the 14th century)

Features----Dialects (Northern, Southern, East Midland, West Midland) , alliterative verse, provincialism unlike court poetry.

Seminal Poems:

1.Sir Gawayn and the Green Knight ( 1360-70)

2.2. Pearl, Purity and Patience

3. William Langland- Piers Plowman- an alliterative verse in the form of a vision framing moral allegories.

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