historia literatury

into what periods is Medieval English literature divided

the Old English (Anglo

why were heroic tales so important and universal?

built a sense of community and indentity in cultures, were very visual and image

when was Beowulf written down?

circa 1000 AD

what are typical Anglo

Saxon poetic tropes?

when was Beowulf first creaded and when is it taking place?

before 5th/6th century

why was Beowulf created?

a story about primitive fear of the unknown nature

was Christianity in the first edition of Beowulf?

it was added later by the scribes

what is wyrd in Beowulf?

Old English acceptance of unchangeable fate

main types of surviving Old English texts (5)

poetry (heroic, religious and elegiac),
gnomic texts (eg. moral instructions or poetic riddles),
historical prose (chronicles),
legal texts (wills or legal codices),
philosophical, religious and scientific texts

where did Christianity come from to Anglo

Saxon kingdoms?

when was the mission of St. Augustine of Canterburry?

597 AD

when was estabilished the monastery in Iona, Scotland?

563 AD

when was the Synod od Whitby and what did it do?

664 AD, ending the discord between Irish and Roman Christianity

What culture greatly influenced Anglo

Saxon culture?

how did the Dream of the Rood get preserved?

recorded on a stone cross (8th century) and in a manuscript (the Vercelli Book)

how and by who is Christ described in the Dream of the Rood?

a superhero similar to pagan heroes or warriors, with a description of a modified version of crucifixion, described by the Cross

what is Northumbria?

an early medieval Anglo

when did the Viking Age start?

793 AD with the Viking attack on Lindisfarne

when did the Venerable Bede live?

673

how did the Venerable Bede influenced the idea of national identity?

"Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum", circa 730 AD where he called the Angles a choosen nation (the name for the Angels compared to Biblical angels),
in his opinion national identity was built upon common language, roots and faith,

who was the first Old English poet known by name and what was his poem called?

Caedmon and Caedmon's Hymn

when did king Aldred the Great reign?

the second half of the 9th century

how did people see king Alfred the Great?

as the last guardian of Christian civilization in Britain agains Vikings

how did king Alfred the Great influence Old English literature?

Gregory the Great's "Pastoral Care" with proposal of a programme of education and translation to recover the people's lost wisdom and wealth,
Boethius' "Consolation of Philosophy" where Alfred definies the responsibilities of a ruler toward his subjects, Alfred wanted every free man to know how to read and to know several books,
Alfred "legimitised" the Old English language as the "language of the book"

what is logocentrism?

the focus on the Holy Logos and on the power of words as an emanation of reality

what is pansemiotism?

the meaningfulness of everything and the idea of the divine plan and divine purpose of everything that happens)

what is polysemy?

multiplicity of the layers of meaning (eg. the Bible may have literal sense, symbolic meaning, moral meaning and the secret, gnomic meaning)

what are universals?

knowledge derived from the universal, not particular ideas

who was Cynewulf?

a poet from the 9th century who created four poems, he signed his works with runic signs scattered over his manuscripts

what is a charm?

remnant of old verbal magic, mixture of pagan and Christian beliefs and rituals

what are some examples of Old English elegies?

"The Wanderer", "The Seafarer" or "Deor's Lament"

what are some examples of Old English gnomic texts?

"Maxims", "The Order of the World" or "The Fortunes of Men"

what is an example of Old English poetic riddle?

"Dialogue between King Solomon and
Saturn"

what are some examples of the common motifs of ideas of Old English elegies?

loneliness, separation,
the voyage,
exile,
the search of some sense in life

what are some examples of the common motifs of the imagery of Old English elegies?

rough sea and the hostile nature,
the sea as the sea of life

what are the roots of Anglo

Saxon existentialism?

what is The Wanderer about?

a lamentation of a man deprived of his past security who now is looking for a new patron, the narrator is haunted by the memories

what is The Seafarer about?

the conscious choice of the life on the sea and the desire to live life to its extremes

what are some conflicts in The Wanderer and The Seafarer?

man vs. nature,
man vs. himself,
man vs. the memory of the past

what are Wulf and Eadwacer and Wife's Lament about?

the hopelessness of the situation narrated by women separated from their lovers

what is The Husband's Message about?

the hope and desire to be reunited

what were the riddles about?

the idea of guessing the secreted identity,
the idea of making something common strange and unusual

what are the themes appearing in Old English riddles?

serious (Creation riddle), existential (Shield riddle), religious (Bible riddle), jocular and erotic (Key riddle)

what were some of the changes in social structures of England after the Conquest Language?

some of the french words got incorporated into the English language (eg. names for kinds of meat, like pork from porc, beef from boeuf or mutton from mouton)

when was created the Doomsday Book?

1086 AD

what did the Doomsday Book symbol?

the Norman Conquest, it determined what taxes had been owed during the reign of King Edward the Confessor, so William the Conqueror could redistribute his power accordingly

how did the aftermath of the Norman Conquest look like?

Norman French and Latin became the languages of the upper classes and of literature,
castles and cathedrals started to be build in Romanesque style

what is a gesta?

a song about great deeds

what are the three main cycles of chivalric romances?

the matter of Rome (Troy, Alexander the Great),
the matter of Britain (King Arthur, Grail etc.),
the matter of France (Charles the Great, Roland)

when did the chivalric culture and crusades start?

early 12th century

what was the chivalric culture and crusades about?

"the Holy War", the image of Christ as a perfect knight

what are the main ideas in the Arthurian myths?

search for a chivalric and monarchic ideal in troubled times,
propaganda tool,
history turned into legend,
rebirth of the myths of origin (Brutus as the father of Britain),
England as the second Troy

how is Arthur presented in Lawman's "Brut"?

the king by the grace of God, defending the indegrity of his kingdom, keeping up the traditions

when was Lawman's "Brut" created?

late 12th or early 13th century

what is the effect of love?

the true lover can not be corrupted by the sin,
love makes a person better

what is one of the quintessential coutrly love poems?

"Le roman de la rose", de Lorris (ca. 1230),
Le roman de la rose", de Meun (ca. 1275)

what are the traits of "Le roman de la rose"?

allegorical dram vision, love as a garden, a philosophising discussion of love

what was love represented as in coutrly love?

elegant and elevating emotional suffering

when was the cult of Virgin Mary created?

the 12th century in Europe

what work was called "the coutrly love manual"?

Andreas Capellanus' "De amore" made in the 12th century

what did the Church accused coutrly love of?

promoting adultery

who was Marie de France?

an anonymous poetess creating in French at the court of Henry II of England in the 12th century

what are lais?

narrative poems in rhymed French, based on Celtic legends from Brittany and dedicated to King Henry

what is an adventure?

a transformative event happening to the characters

what were the poems of Marie de France about?

chivalry and the culture of coutrly love,
loyalty and adultery,
individuality of the characters,
varied views on love

what were the three main medieval estates in the early 14th century?

oratores, those who pray;
bellatores, those who fight;
laboratores, those who work

how did the role of a knight change during the Hundred Years' War?

the military role of a knight slowly decreased,
the war resulted in the unification of English identity against the French enemy

when did the the Hundred Years' War take place?

1337

what was the situation of the Church in the 14th century?

in moral and institutional crisis (eg. simony), influenced by politics

when did the Western Schism take place?

1378

how did the Black Death change the society?

massive depopulation in Europe and in England,
labour shortages

When did the Black Death occur?

1347

when was the Peasants' Revolt?

1381 AD

how did the English language change in the 14th century?

the presence of French language declines as the language of the upper class, growing popularity of poetry in English

how did Renaissance influence Chaucer?

new focus on social realism with lower class characters in the centre of interest

what are some examples of gothic influences in literature?

a lot of ornamentation, extravagant rhyming schemes

When was the Canterbury Tales written?

1380s

what is a fablau?

a humorous tale often resorting to eritoc and bawdy elements, ironic of the church and social hierarchies (Miller's Tale)

what is a fable?

a moraliziing tale with animals as characters (Nun's Priest's Tale)

what is an exemplum?

an extended moral anecdote used to illustrate a point (Pardoner's Tale)

what is an example of a mock

heroic tale in The Canterburry Tales?

when was the Pearl Poet creating?

ca. 1375

what did the Pearl Poet create?

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

how did the importance of play and humour manifested in late medieval culture?

ritual spectacles, various parodies, obscene and abusive language in spectacles

what was the role of carnival?

to provide temporary vents for the social pressure at the same reinforcing the current hierarchy

what are the features of carnivalesque laughter?

festive (everyone laughs),
universal (everyone is laughed at),
ambivalent (triumphant yet mocking, asserting and denying)

what the body language look like in the cultural carnival?

grotesque realism, emphasis on the appearance, human needs (eating, drinking) and the cycle of life (pregnancy, birth, death)

what are the roots of theatre?

communal experience, religious rituals of ancient Greece, shamanic practices and giving the world new meanings through play

what are the three main types of medieval plays?

mystery, miracle and morality plays

what did mystery plays tell about?

biblical themes and the life of Christ

what did miracle plays tell about?

the life, miracles or death of a saint

what did morality plays tell about?

moral lessons taught through allegorical drama, characters personify moral qualities or abstractions (death, youth)

what is the title of one of the oldest morality plays in English?

"The Castle of Preservance" (circa 1425)

what kind of a play is "Everyman"?

morality play

when was the whole Bible first translated into English?

the first half of XVI century (1525

when was the King James' Bible published?

1611

when was "Utopia" written?

1516

what was "Utopia" about?

the ideal society with no war, greed, or corruption

what is the name of a play that is not performed on a stage?

interlude

why the first pernament theatres were constructed outside the city borders?

fear of revolts, riots, plagues and distracion of workers