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1PartITheAnglo-Saxonperiod（449-1066）1.Thehistoricalbackground1.1Anglo-SaxonperiodEnglishliteraturebeginswithAnglo-Saxonperiodextendingfromabout450to1066,theyearoftheNorman-FrenchconquestofEngland.TheGermanictribesfromEuropewhooverranEnglandinthe5thcentury,aftertheRomanwithdrawal,broughtwiththemtheOldEnglish,orAnglo-Saxonlanguage,whichisthebasisofModernEnglish.Theybroughtalsoaspecificpoetictradition,theformalcharacterofwhichremainedsurprisinglyconstantuntiltheterminationoftheirrulebytheNorman-Frenchinvaderssixcenturieslater.1.2Background:threeconquests,namely,Romanconquest,EnglishconquestandNormanConquest2.Theliterature2.1Thegeneralintroduction:PaganandChristian2.2MainliteraryworksPoetry:BeowulfWaldereBrunanburgeTheSeafarerTheWandererTheLover’sMessageProse:Anglo-saxonChronicle(1154,AlfredtheGreat)2.3BeowulfBeowulfisthemostremarkableliteraryworkinoldEnglishthathasbeenpreserved.Existingatfirstintheoraltradition,thepoemwassungprobablyattheendofthe6thcenturyandthebeginningofthe7th.Aboutacenturylater,itwasfirstwrittendownasanepic.Themanuscriptpreservedtodaybelongstothetenthcentury,2consistingaltogetherof3182linesofalliterativeverseinoldEnglish.2.3.1Thestory2.3.2ThestructureAccordingtothecontentsofthestory,thepoemcanbedividedintothreeparts:PartI:thefightagainstGrendelPartII:thefightagainstGrendel’smotherPartIII:thefightagainsttheFireDragon2.3.3Heroicideal2.3.4Thethemes2.4TheartisticfeaturesofoldEnglishpoetryAlliteration,metaphor,understatement,vividpoeticdictionandparallelexpressionsforasingleideaPartIITheAnglo—NormanPeriod（1066—1350）1.Thehistoricalbackground:TheNormanConquestanditsconsequence1.1TheNormanConquestTheFrenchspeakingNormansunderDukeWilliamcamein1066.AfterdefeatingtheEnglishatHastings,WilliamwascrownedasKingofEngland.Revoltswerecruellysuppressedandtheconquestwascompletedwithswordandfire.ItwascalledtheNormanConquest.1.2TheconsequenceTheNormanConquestbroughtaboutEnglandmorethanachangeofrulers.Politically,afeudalistsystemwasestablishedinEngland;religiously,theRome-backedCatholicChurchhadamuchstrongercontroloverthecountry;andgreatchangesalsotookplaceinlanguages.Aftertheconquest,threelanguagesco-existedinEngland.OldEnglishwasspokenonlybythecommonEnglishpeople;FrenchbecametheofficiallanguageusedbythekingandtheNormanlords;andLatinbecametheprincipletongueofchurchaffairsandwasusedbytheclergymen3andscholarsinuniversities.TheconquestopenedupEnglandtothewholeEuropeancontinent,sothatwiththeintroductionofthecultureandliteratureofFrance,ItalyandotherEuropeancountries,afreshwaveofMediterraneancivilizationcameintoEngland.2.TheLiterature2.1BriefSurveyTheliteratureinthisperiodisremarkableforitsbright,romantictalesofloveandadventure,inmarkedcontrastwiththestrengthandsombernessofAnglo-Saxonpoetry.DuringthefollowingthreecenturiesAnglo-SaxonspeechsimplifieditselfbydroppingitsTeutonicinflections,absorbedeventuallyalargepartoftheFrenchvocabulary,andbecametheEnglishlanguage.2.2MedievalRomance2.2.1ThecontentofRomanceThemostprevailingkindofliteratureinfeudalEnglandwastheromance.Itwasalongcomposition,sometimesinverse,sometimesinprose,describingthelifeandadventuresofanoblehero.Thecentralcharacterofromanceswastheknight,amanofnoblebirthskilledintheuseofweapons.Hewascommonlydescribedasridingforthtoseekadventures,takingpartintournaments,orfightingforhislordinbattle.Hewasdevotedtothechurchandtheking.Thecodeofmannersandmoralsofaknightisknownaschivalry.Onewhowantedtobeaknightshouldserveanapprenticeshipasasquireuntilhewasadmittedtotheknighthoodwithsolemnceremonyandtheswearingofoaths.2.2.2TheRomanceCycles（Groups）MattersofBritainRomanceofmattersofBritaintalksabouttheadventuresofKingArthurandhisKnightsoftheRoundTable.ThedevelopmentofromanceofKingArthurinBritishliterature:Origin:CelticlegendsBeginning:HistoryoftheKingsofBritain(GeoffreyofMonmouth)Brut(Layamon)4Culmination:SirGawainandtheGreenknightSummingup:MortD’Arthur(ThomasMallory)MattersofFranceMattersofRome2.2.3Theclassnatureoftheromance2.3SirGawainandtheGreenknight2.3.1Thestory2.3.2Thetheme2.3.3Theartisticfeatures:Alliteration…PartIIIGeoffreyChaucer（1340?—1400）1.GeoffreyChaucer1.1HisplaceinBritishLiterature“FatherofEnglishPoetry”andoneofthegreatestnarrativepoetsofEngland.1.2HislifeProsperousfamily,OxfordandCambridge,rubelbowswiththecourt,traveltoItalyandFrance,memberofParliamentandsoondismissed,ClerksoftheKing’sworks,buriedWestminsterAbbey1.3Thebackground·Thefoundationsofthefeudalsystemhadalreadybeguntocrumble.·Thepeople’suprisingof1388raisedthequestionastotheabolitionoffeudalism.·ThegloryoftheCatholicchurchwasonthewane.1.4LiteraryCareerCriticstendtodivideChaucer’sliterarycareerintothreeperiods,namely,theFrench,theItalianandthematureperiod·TheFrenchperiod:RomanceoftheRoseTheBookoftheDuchess·TheItalianperiod:TheHouseofFame(1377)TroilusandCriseyde(1372-1384)5TheParliamentofFouls(1375-1385)TheLegendofGoodWomen·Thematureperiod:TheCanterburyTales1.5Theotherimportantworksinhistime·Poetry:PiersthePlowman(WilliamLangland,1330?—1400?）MirourdeL’omme(JohnGower,1376—1379）Voxclamantis(JohnGower,1330?