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TOPIC 43. ORAL MEDIEVAL LITERATURE: THE ARTHURIAN LEGEND. CHAUCER: THE…
TOPIC 43. ORAL MEDIEVAL LITERATURE: THE ARTHURIAN LEGEND. CHAUCER: THE CANTERBURY TALES
2. ORAL MEDIEVAL LITERATURE: THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, The period of European history extending from about
500 to 1500
ce is traditionally known as the Middle Ages. The Medieval Period began
in the 5th c and lasted until the dawn of the Renaissance
. It includes
2 periods of literary history divided by the Norman Conquest in 1066
:
1) Old English (
Anglo Saxon
)
2)
Middle English
3. THE ARTHURIAN LEGEND
3.1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
(XII and XIII centuries)
Source:
circa year 828, Nennius wrote the "
History of the Britons
", a 9th-century Latin text that chronicles the history of Britain from the arrival of Brutus to the year 681 (which marks the reign of King Cadwaladr of Gwynedd)
Then in 1136 (approx),
Geoffrey of
Monmouth
wrote in
Latin
"History of the Kings of Britain"
to offer a historic treatise on the island, from its founder Brutus until King Arthur's successor (Constantine). The book is a mixture of material from other books and his own inventions with various legendary lore (including Merlin and Uther Pendragon).
Wace
converted Monmouth dignified prose into a lively and vigorous story titled "
Romance of Brut
"
, written in
Norman French verse
and making additions, such as expanding the exploits of King Arthur and mentioning the Round Table
Layamon
turned Wace's work into a
Middle English
Romance titled "
Brut
", written in
alliterative unrhymed verse
, including the story of the creation of the
Round Table
.
His adaptation further enriched the narrative, incorporating dramatic descriptions of King Arthur’s exploits while maintaining the oral storytelling traditions of medieval literature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQBvamsvN0c&t=614s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4USmGPfK2M&t=821s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raC1g-8CoM8&pp=ygUZd2hhdCBpcyB0aGUgdnVsZ2F0ZSBjeWNsZQ%3D%3D
3.3. Representative Arthurian Romances and Legends
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
is a Christian, midwinter
poem
and a courtly
romance
. It's an assertion of belief in life as opposed to winter deprivation and death. There are some
aspects in his composition which link it with the oral tradition: the repetitive use of sounds, synonyms, syntax
. The poem uses alliteration and a unique stanza structure known as the "
bob and wheel
"
to create a rhythmic
and memorable narrative, characteristic of oral traditions.
The Death of King Arthur
was written in English by Malory and published by Caxton in 1485. It's a seminal work,
responsible for the popularity
of King Arthur in the English-speaking world. It includes stories from earlier works, such as Monmouth and French romances, weaving them together into a unified epic.
It exemplifies the ideals of chivalry and knighthood through the actions of the characters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaQImmPev2o&pp=ygUfU2lyIEdhd2FpbiBhbmQgdGhlIEdyZWVuIEtuaWdodA%3D%3D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKaCTVNrWtw&pp=ygUfVGhlIERlYXRoIG9mIEtpbmcgQXJ0aHVyIG1hbG9yeQ%3D%3D
3.2. THE ARTHURIAN LEGEND IN LITERATURE
the common celtic civilisation between Wales, Ireland and the Armonican Peninsula explains the appearance of
Britanny
matter of the stories about Arthur
The Vulgate Cycle
(13th-century collection of
Arthurian stories written in vernacular prose for the 1st time
). Additionally, the
tale of Tristan and Isolde
was incorporated
into the Arthurian universe
Full literary development of the story occurs in
France
XII C.:
Chretien de Troyes
was credited with
creating some of the earliest fictional novels
by telling stories about King Arthur and his knights, introducing Lancelot and Percival and the Holy Grail.
Arthur's modern
popularity
is owed to his re-emergence during the
Victorian
age with Lord Tennyson, fueled by a romanticized view of chivalry and medieval times. The fascination with Arthur still continues today: it's present in films, such as the one from 2017:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhNWhkP2FHs&t=797s
3.4.
MAIN CHARACTERS AND THEMES
Lady of the Lake
, a misty, supernatural figure with magic powers who
gave the sword
Excalibur to King Arthur.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKRF69_kk8s&pp=ygUrbGFkeSBvZiB0aGUgbGFrZSBhcnRodXJpYW4gbGVnZW5kIGV4cGxhaW5lZA%3D%3D
Avalon
. Island where the
Excalibur was forged
, to which the mortally wounded Arthur was taken and from which he's expected to return.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MomJfH1N1zA&pp=ygUiaXNsYSBhdmFsb25pcyB0aGUgYXJ0aHVyaWFuIGxlZ2VuZA%3D%3D
Guinevere
is Arthur's
wife
, who's in love with Sir Launcelot which leads her to retire to a convent.
Sir
Launcelot
is the bravest and most celebrated
knight
who was kidnapped and raised by Lady of the Lake
Merlin
:
magician
and counsellor of King Arthur, teacher at his court.
The
Excalibur
was a sword acquired by Arthur through the intercession of Merlin, given by Lady of the Lake. It
symbolises Arthur's rightful sovereignty
and power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyurN72Py6A&pp=ygUnZXhjYWxpYnVyIHRoZSBhcnR1cmlhbiBsZWdlbmQgZXhwbGFpbmVk
The
Round Table
was a wedding gift from Arthur's father-in-law where
court
was held.
The Questing Beast
represents the chaos and
absurdity
of knightly quests
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y73Hin5n2EU&pp=ygUndGhlIHF1ZXN0aW5nIGJlYXN0IHRoZSBhcnRodXJpYW4gbGVnZW5k
The Holy Grail
was the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper; an
otherwordly power
only Sir Galahad achieved this spiritual honor, gaining access to heaven.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik3Y4Oq6TwU&pp=ygUjdGhlIGhvbHkgZ3JhaWwgdGhlIGFydGh1cmlhbiBsZWdlbmQ%3D
Morgana Le Fay: Powerful sorceress and half-sister of King Arthur. She lived in Avalon and there learned magic thanks to the aid of the Lady of the Lake.
Uther Pendragon is the father
of King Arthur who seduced Igraine thanks to Merlin, resulting in Arthur's conception.
Mordred is the traitorous nephew of King Arthur, mortally wounding him and being killed in return.
2.1.
ORAL MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
Celtic and Germanic
cultures (Anglo-Saxons, Britons and Gaels) had a strong
tradition
of oral storytelling, passed down through generations. A Key Example of this is the Arthurian Legend, a cycle of tales developed from both Celtic and Germanic sources.
A) MAIN TECHNIQUES
: DRF
realistic details
to give credibility
formulaic expressions
(words/structures)
full of
devices
to aid
memory
(repetition
)
B) TYPES: BERP
🛐
Poetry
: mostly of
religious
character and intended for
oral
transmission, which created the need for stylistic resources such as accents and alliteration. The most important type is
elegiac
poetry as a means of expressing grief, blending pagan and Christian elements, as seen in the contemplation of fate and divine providence.
Romance
brought a new theme from Provence (modern-day Southern France):
passionate/chaste/courtly love and fidelity
(full of sexuality). It concerned
knights
, fighting and
adventures
using the improbable and supernatural and employing a colloquial and easy style as well as standardised characterisation of plots with various events.
Epics
: recounting
heroic deeds in supernatural atmospheres
. They reflect the way of life and ideals of Germanic warriors
and served to celebrate cultural heroes and convey moral and social values, often blending historical events with mythological elements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkblUzteA-4&pp=ygUYd2hhdCB3ZXJlIG1lZGlldmFsIGVwaWNz
Ballads
are narrative songs focused on conflicts and heroism, whose stories are told through
dialogue and action with sudden transitions
, including abrupt beginnings, refrains and
incremental repetition.
According to
, oral Medieval literature is transmitted by
worth of mouth
by
bards
, minstrels and song makers and it comprises:
rituals
proverbs
myths
riddles
songs
poems
dramas
prose and verse narratives
GEOFFREY CHAUCER
is considered the
creator of English versification
. His work
encouraged to write in English
, speeding the transition from French to English
as the language of literature
.
He was born into middle class and spent his life into close association with the ruling nobility due to his early job as a page. This allowed him to work for the Crown in well-paid positions such as diplomat.
He was influenced by
Dante and Boccaccio
.
works
Earlier writings
The House of Fame is a
dream-poem influenced by Dante to learn about fame
. He wrote in octosyllabic couplets, using the rhyme-royal stanza.
Troilus and Criseyde
is called
the first modern novel
, whose source is
Bocaccio as it brings together a classical Trojan war story
and the 6th philosophical work of Boethius.
:
is a
dream vision poem of consolation on the death
of the Duchess of Lancaster, exploring themes of love loss and grief. It's notable for its use of allegory.
is the
first English poem to use heroic couplets
to talk about the joys and pain of love considering female's views.
1st poem in which valentine's Day is referenced, many academics attribute Chaucer as the creator of this day
are a
collection of 24 stories
narrated by Chaucer and set within a frame narrative where a
group of 30
pilgrims are travelling to the Shrine of ST Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral
. They tell stories to pass time, resulting in a variety of tales that reflect the diverse backgrounds/classes/POVs.
Themes
often explored with a mix of satire and earnestness.
rising individualism,
fellowship
and social class
💒
church
playing a major part in society despite the shift to new values.
love and
sex
(betrayal)
🍷the importance of
drinking
and conviviality in this society
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPFgoRYZhLE
Symbols
🌷
spring
and flowers as pagan elements of ritual spiritual renewal (pilgrimage)
🩸
blood
(lineage and sacrifice)
👕
clothes
(personality)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbk5NgC5Lwc
the
inn
as a microcosm of medieval society
Language
Written humorously using Middle English common words and the funny accent of a regional dialect, in iambic pentameter and continental accentual-syllabic metre
continental
accentual
-syllabic metre.
metrical innovation: rhyme royal, being one of the first to use the
iambic pentameter.
satirist
influence with the
humorous
device of the funny accent of a regional dialect
helped standardise the London Dialect of Middle English
one of the
first to use common English words
in his writings, being considered the source of the English vernacular tradition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ZrBr9DOwA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwYyPfDpak8&pp=ygUQZ2VvZmZyZXkgY2hhdWNlcg%3D%3D
https://youtu.be/_a2e0kqozfk?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/aRSCmA2KUu0?si=nqNMBGlimFKGMiJw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYShzzGxpmg
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Burnley, D. (2014). "The History of The English Language"
Crystal, D. (2012). "English as a Global Language"
Bekmuratovich, X. G. (2020). "The Importance of Teaching History to Students"
Grlica, T. (2013). "The importance of Teaching Literature in a High-School Environment with the incorporation of Film and Multimedia into the Process".
UN DESA (2022). "The Sustainable Development Goals Report". New York, USA.
https://youtu.be/alk8KD57N6k?si=Hi_xElwIjfoqoIsS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yetUnwcOP10&pp=ygUQZ2VvZmZyZXkgY2hhdWNlcg%3D%3D
https://youtu.be/51EqK6suFi4?si=WXjyPEq5f0C0fGBS
