British Literature Chapter 2 Notes

Life expectancy during the Middle Ages was?

short

was the greatest buffer against many of these insecurities (crop failure, malnourishment, and poor medical knowledge)

It helped the people survive many of the hardships of Medieval life

Community

what forms of literature were more common during Medieval Literature?

Oral forms

worked to preserve English identity.

Bede’s Ecclesiastical History

The popular genres of Medieval literature which tended to create shared experiences?

riddles, ballads, songs

filled both functions of affirming cultural identity and strengthening a sense of community bonds

Medieval dramas

• Northumbrian monk and scholar 

• Considered the greatest scholar of the early Medieval era 

• He had two purposes in writing of The Ecclesiastical History of the English People 

1. Sought to trace God’s working in England in order to glorify Him

2. Wanted to show a united identity for the English people 

• Hagiography: biographies of saints 

• His literature uses Anglo-Saxon poetry techniques such as epithets, variation, kennings, and alliterative verse. 

• “Sing about the Creation”- Caedmon’s purpose from God; a direct gift from God

The Venerable Bede

biographies of saints

Hagiography

a form of guessing game present in most cultures’ folklore since ancient times in which a speaker presents a series of images or scenarios describing a person, place, object, or event

Anglo-Saxon Riddles

one of the most common form of literature in medieval culture was song lyrics

Medieval Songs

narrative poems of folk origin, intended to be sung and consisting of simple stanzas usually within a refrain

Folk Ballads

• The author or speaker is anonymous 

• The genres are brief and concentrated on one theme 

• They use repetition for ease in remembering and retelling and for pure enjoyment

Ballads

a line, part of a line, or group of lines repeated throughout a poem

Refrain

quatrains; the first and third line contains four stresses and no rhyme while the second and fourth have three stresses as well as rhyme

Ballad Stanzas

1. Must be a narrative 

2. Story must be condensed 

3. Sudden shifts are frequent, making audiences fill in details themselves 

4. Many ballads follow a specific form, the ballad stanza

Folk Ballads

“And there lies gude Sir Patrick Spens, Wi’ the Scots lords at his feet!” - tragic ending

Sir Patrick Spens

• “They made a paction ‘tween them twa, they made it firm and sure, that the first word whatever should speak, should rise and bar the door.” - the husband and wife make a bet that whoever speaks first has to get up and bar the door. 

• Someone breaks into the house, but they cannot speak to the robbers because they made a bet between each other that whoever speaks has to get up and bar the door. 

• She wins the bet because her husband speaks first.

Get up and Bar the Door

The changing of time between winter and spring

The Cuckoo Song 

A song about Mary and Jesus’ birth 

I sing of a maiden

• First women to write a book in English; given name is unknown 

• Was an anchoress, adopting solitary seclusion for a life of prayer and devotion 

• Developed a reputation as a spiritual adviser to the community 

• Said she experienced mysterious visions of Christ’s suffering

Julian of Norwich

main purpose is not to expound doctrines, but to encourage individuals to deepen their devotion to God

Devotional Literature

• descriptions based on sense perceptions 

• Julian uses two images (clothing and hazelnut)

Imagery

verbal cues that guide the reader through the writer’s train of thought

Signal words

Five common patterns for nonfiction texts

1. Description/List 

2. Sequence/Time Order 

3. Compare/Contrast 

4. Cause/Effect 

5. Problem/Solution

the root of Medieval Dramas

The Church

The Church began using what to reach its mostly illiterate flock?

liturgical dramas

 purposes and themes of Medieval dramas were clearly?

religious

short scenes of key biblical or historical Church events acted out with very little dialogue

Liturgical Drama

portrayed stories about the lives of saints

Miracle Play

cycles of short plays depicting Biblical stories and meant to be performed together

Mystery Play

told allegorical stories representing a spiritual theme or truth

Morality Play

Medieval dramas were performed during what time of year?

Church holidays

Each play was enacted on a movable stage called?

pageant wagon

a type of broad, highly exaggerated comedy

Farce