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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)
Anglo Saxon
2)
Middle English
3. THE ARTHURIAN LEGEND
3.1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
(XII and XIII centuries)
Geoffrey of
Monmouth
wrote in
Latin
"
Historia Regum Britanniae"
to offer a historic treatise on the island, from its founder Brutus until King Arthur's successor (XVII c.). The book is a mixture of material from other books and his own inventions with various legendary lore (including Merlin and Uther Pendragon).
Source: old Celtic doc
Wace
converted Monmouth dignified prose into a lively and vigorous story titled "
Roman de Brut
"
, written in
French
and making additions.
The exploits of King Arthur occupy a prominent place and the Round Table is mentioned.
Layamon
turned Wace's work into
English
, making interesting additions in his book "
Brut
", written in
alliterative unrhymed verse
.
It included the story of the creation of the
Round Table
.
Its genre tends to
romance
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 use of synonyms, syntax, and sounds
The Death of King Arthur
was finished by Malory and published by Caxton in 1485. It's
responsible for the popularity
of King Arthur and his knights in the English-speaking world. Malory focused on the
liveliness
of dialogues and the
dramatic
actions of the events. He wrote with an original and
intense
style, imposing his own view of the knightly world.
3.2. THE ARTHURIAN LEGEND IN LITERATURE
the common celtic civilisation between Wales, Ireland and the Armonican Peninsula explains the appearance of
Britanny
mater of the stories about Arthur
The Vulgate Cycle
(XIII c = 1st time stories were told in vernacular prose) is related to Henry II's court. Tristan's story is incorporated into the Arthurian universe.
Full literary development of the story occurs in
France
XII C.:
Chretien de Troyes created fiction novels through the telling of Arhtur's story
Arthur's modern popularity is owed to his re-emergence during the Victorian age and the fascination is still going strong today: it's present in films, such as the one from 2017:
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.
Avalon
. Island where the Excalibur was forged, to which the mortally wounded Arthur was taken and from which he's expected to return.
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 second sword acquired by Arthur through the intercession of Merlin, given by Lady of the Lake.
The
Round Table
was a wedding gift from Arthur's father-in-law where court was held.
The Questing Beast represents the absurdity of knightly quests and glory
The Holy Grail was the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper; an otherwordly power that even Arthur's knights are incapable of achieving.
2.1.
ORAL MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
A) MAIN TECHNIQUES
realistic details to give credibility
formulaic expressions (words/structures)
full of devices to aid memory (repetition
)
B) TYPES
Poetry
: mostly of religious character and intended for oral transmission, what created the need for stylistic resources such as accents and alliteration. The most important type is elegiac poetry
Romance
brought a new theme from Provenze: 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 of heroic deeds in supernatural atmospheres. They reflect the way of life and ideals of Germanic warriors
.
Ballads
, whose story is told through dialogue and action with sudden transitions, including abrupt beginnings, refrains and icremental repetition.
According to Britannica, 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.
works
Earlier writings
is a dream-poem influenced by Dante to learn about love. He uses the new 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-poem of consolation on the death
of the Duchess of Lancaster, bringing together effectively language, emotion and situation.
is the first English poem to use heroic couplets to talk about the joys and pain of love considering female's views.
are a collection of 24 stories narrated by Chaucer and set within a frame narrative where a group of 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
rising individualism, fellowship and social class
church playing a major part in society despite the shift to new values.
love and sex
the importance of drinking and conviviality in this society
Symbols
spring as a pagan element of ritual spiritual renewal
blood
clothes
Language
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
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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQBvamsvN0c&t=614s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhNWhkP2FHs&t=797s
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ZrBr9DOwA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yetUnwcOP10&pp=ygUQZ2VvZmZyZXkgY2hhdWNlcg%3D%3D
