Restoration and Middle Ages

British Lit 241 exam

What was the living situation like in the Middle Ages?

• Little to no resources

• Disease

• Many people were lower class

When did the Middle Ages, also known as the Dark Ages, take place?

400-1,000 (started after the roman empire fell)

What did people eat during the Middle Ages?

bread, grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, porridge, chicken, and cows. Cows and chickens were rare to eat, though, because they were more valuable alive.

What was considered an adult in the Middle Ages?

11 years old

Where does Beowulf take place?

Northern Europe. Scandinavia (Denmark & Sweden)

In the 500’s

What was Beowulf’s language like?

exaggerated, formal, and elevated.

What was Beowulf?

Beowulf was a Geat.

The 3 major battles of Beowulf:

1. Battle of Grendel

2. Battle of Grendel’s mother

3. Battle of Dragon (50 years later)

In Beowulf… Denmark and Sweden are…

allies

Grendel is a …

Descendant of Cain (outcasts)

Wiglaf

Brave kinsman of Beowulf’s that helps him fight off the dragon in the end of the story. Beowulf gives him the prize of gold in the end for his loyalty.

Julian of Norwich

1342-1416

Wrote the Revelations of Divine Love

First woman to write a book in English that has survived

An anchoress (religious recluse)

Revelations of Divine Love

based on a series of sixteen visions she received on the 8th of May, 1373. She was lying on what she thought was her deathbed.

Lyrical language and spoke good of God

Anchoress

A recluse, dead to the world, sponsored by donations.

“I should desire the second wound of our Lord’s gift and of his grace, that my body might be fulfilled with mind and feeling of his blessed passion, as I had before prayed” (p. 223).

Julian of Norwich expressing that she should desire God’s pains because she’d feel closer to him.

What did Julian of Norwich describe God as?

A mother figure.

Who were the Canterbury Tales written by?

Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)

Who was Chaucer?

Geoffrey Chaucer was a grandson of a shoemaker (chauser) and a son of a wine merchant and because his father was a wine merchant and he was around shipments, he was able to be around diverse people and travel.

Chaucer was apart of what growing class?

Middle class

What were the original estates?

Nobility, church, and the laborers

What determined people’s statuses and roles?

Wealth, profession, and personal ability

How many stories were in the Canterbury Tales?

The Canterbury Tales had about 120 stories. Each pilgrim had about 2 stories to tell on the way to Canterbury and two more to tell on the way back.

Nicholas (Canterbury Tales)

Poor, lively, and lusty young scholar from Oxford who studies astrology. He goes after the carpenter’s wife, Alison.

Old Carpenter (Canterbury Tales)

Possessive of Alison and foolish

Absolon

Parish clerk that tries to woo Alison.

Alison

Wife of the old carpenter and has an affair with Nicolas.

Wife of Bath

Seamstress that has been married 5 times. Confident, large, gap-toothed, and a force of nature.

The Restoration Period

1660-1785

Monarchy was brought back in England after the Civil War

Playhouses, comedies, newspapers, magazines, and printed works.

Britain became a central actor in international commerce and the transatlantic slave trade.

Aphra Behn

1640?-1684

Playwright but began composing fiction when it wasn’t profitable

Spoke freely on religion, science, and philosophy

The Disappointment by Aphra Behn

In the story, the maid, Cloris, gets taken by force by Lysander. Lysander is “unable to perform”

Jonathan Swift

1667-1745

Born from English parents in Dublin

Worked at the church but did satire writings on the side

Wrote powerful satires on corruption in religion and learning

During the early 17th century, what 2 religions had tension?

Catholics and Protestants

Who restored the monarchy in England after the Civil War?

King Charles II