MB UNIUD

Development of Literature

Anglo Saxon period

• Genre: Epic poetry. Much of the surviving literary of the Middle Ages is poetry. There were no literary interest in the first period, so there aren't many literary works.
• Main literary work: The oldest surviving British poetry is Beowulf. It dates from around the 7^th century. Author, place of this composition are unknown. It is in Anglo Saxon, or Old English, but he recent translation into modern English has attached the attention of ordinary readers, there's also a film.

The story: It tells the deeds of Beowulf, a Scandinavia hero. He fight against a monster and a dragon, but he is mortally.

Origins: The poem  was told by bards, infact the verse in typically of the oral tradition. It uses a lot of poetic devices as repetitions of fixed phrases, alliterated words...

• Topics of the Anglo Saxon literature: the code of values of the society were reassumed in this poems. The heroes are courage, to face the difficulties of weather and the environment, loyal to their chiefs, generous.
• The other part of literature: The other part of the Anglo Saxon poetry which survived besides Beowulf is small: there are shorter poems. Moreover the poetry of the time was in Latin. Only towards the end of the 14^th century started to emerge an English written form.

Anglo Norman period

• Genre: Anglo Norman poetry. After the conquest nothing of any literary interest was produced in English because French and Latin were the dominant languages.
• Main literary work: the cycle of legends dealing with King Arthur and the knights of the round table, the chief of whom was Sir Lancelot, and their search for the Holy Grail.
• Influences: influenced by French literature. The rhymed line began to develop side by side with the alliterative line, the appearance of the poem on the page was changed by complicated stanzas.
• Topics of Anglo-Norman poetry: chivalry. the values that are expressed on this poems are courtesy, honour, generosity, truth. The knight loved from a distance the wife of his lord or some other married noblewoman, was faithful to her,  and was inspired by his love to perform noble dedds in her honour.

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