ENG 261 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Kenning, Feudalism, Geoffrey Chaucer
Document Summary
Norman conquest (1066) battle of hastings and the introduction of french. Variety of language: german, latin, and norman french. First 7 kings are absentee rulers; no interest in england as separate nation. Isolated elements survived due to norman invasion ceased. A-s falls into disuse, goes underground: french (court), latin (academy and church) Very little english lit survives from 1066-1200. Lit after 1200 is new in form, tone and spirit . Broadened to include women, peasants, middle class, trades, guilds. Summit of me poetry is second half of 14th century (chaucer 1343-1400); of prose, second half of 15th cent. (malory, 1405-1471) 1485 printing became available (book pricing reduced) In poetry, loss of heroic, germanic ideal. Emergence of rhyme and new meter most often iambic couplets, pentameter is common. Alliterative revival ( sir gawain and green knight ). Dialect of london emerges as dominant (in uence of chaucer) Until chaucer, french is language of court but then contest with latin.
