Anglo - Saxon literature

1. ANGLO-SAXON LITERATURE

2. The development of written literary tradition in European literature is closely connected with the spread of Christian

religion.
It became the official
religion of Rome in 306
and was brought to all
Roman colonies,
including Britain.
Together with their
religion early Christians
brought the Latin
language, the official
language of the Church
all over Europe.

3. In the 4th century the Germanic tribes of the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes came to the British Isles.

They were pagans,
and most of British
Christians were either
put to death or driven
away to Wales and
Ireland. That is why
the stories of
Christian martyrs and
saints were typical of
the literature of that
time.

4. At the end of the 6th century Roman monks came to Britain again in order to convert people to Christianity.

They landed in Kent and built
their first church in
Canterbury.
Latin words entered the
language of the Anglo-Saxons
because the religious books
were all in Latin.
The monasteries became
centres of education and
learning. Poets and writers
imitated Latin books about the
early Christians and saints.
The names of old English poets
were Caedmon ( the 7th
century) and Cynewulf ( the 8th
century).

5. The earlier prose writers and chronicles were

the Venerable Bede ( 673 –
735)who wrote “The Ecclesiastical
History of the English People)
the English king Alfred the Great
(871 – 901) who wrote “The
Anglo- Saxon Chronicle”.

6. After the death of Alfred the Great fighting with the Danes began again. Some of them settled in Scotland and Ireland, others

sailed across the
English Channel and settled in France,in Normandy.
That’s why they are called the Normans.
In 1066 William, Duke of
Normandy ( William
the Conqueror)
defeated the English at
Hastings, and the
English became an
oppressed nation. The
Norman- French
language was spoken by
the ruling class and at
court. But common
people spoke the AngloSaxon dialects.

7. So, over 2 centuries communication in Britain went on in three languages –

Latin ( was used in monasteries and churches),
French ( was the official language of the state),
Anglo- Saxon ( was spoken by common people).

8. About a century after the Norman Conquest the first English universities were founded.

A fully developed university had 4 faculties:
Theology ( the study of religious
books),Canon Law ( church laws),
Medicine, Art.
At the faculty of Arts the students studied
Latin Grammar, Rhetoric ( expressive
speaking), Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry,
Astronomy and Music.

9. The most famous universities of Great Britain were established at that time.

Oxford University was
founded in 1168
Cambridge University was
founded in 1209

10. During the Norman period feudal culture was at its height.

The medieval poets
came from France with
the conquerors and
brought tales in verse
and lyrical poems about
brave and gallant
knights and beautiful
ladies. They were sung
to the accompaniment
of musical instruments,
such as a lute. The
name of this genre is
romance.

11. A number of romances were based on Celtic legends, especially those about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

They were collected
and arranged in a
series of stories in
prose by Sir Thomas
Malory in the 15th
century.
There are 21 books in
this epic.

12. In the literature of townsfolk we find the fable and the fabliau.

Fables were short
stories with
animals for
characters and
having a moral.

13.

Fabliaux were funny
metrical poems, full
of indecent jokes,
about cunning
humbugs, silly old
merchants and their
unfaithful wives.
The literature of the
town did not idealize
characters as
romances did.

14. In the first part of the 14th century the Normans made London their residence and the capital of the country. The London

dialect gradually became the foundation of the
national language.

15. In 1337 the Hundred Years’ War began with France began.

16. At that time there appeared poor priests who wandered from village to village and talked to the people. They protested against

rich bishops
and churchmen who were ignorant and could not teach people
anything.
Such poor priests were the poet
William Langland (1332 – 1400)
and John Wycliff (1320 – 1384) who
translated part of the Bible into
English.

17. References:

• Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/art
/Anglo-Saxon-literature
• https://www.estudentcorner.com/2018/07/anglosaxon-poetryliteraturelanguage.html