Before medieval literature

eAPUNTES LITERATURA

BEFORE MEDIEVAL LITERATURE

The epic poem Beowulf was composed between 700 and 900, but its composition date continues to be a source of disagreement. It is one of the earlier poems in all the Germanic literatures. It tells the story of a warrior prince called Beowulf. The poem describes the fights Beowulf has with three monsters: Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the Dragon. Grendel has been attacking Heorot, and is killed by Beowulf. Grendel’s mother tries to take revenge, but she is killed by Beowulf as well. In due course, Beowulf becomes King of the Geats, and they all live in peace for many years. Fifty years later, Beowulf’s kingdom is ravaged by a dragon that burns the hall. Although he manages to kill the dragon, he is fatally wounded and dies. The poem ends with Beowulf’s burial. The heroic mode dominates here. Beowulf is the perfect hero: he is loyal, generous, brave, but sensitive and courteous.

When we read a Shakespeare play, a novel by Dickens or Jane Austen, we certainly know a lot about the author, the conventions used at the time, as well as the period in which the works were written. However, in the case of Beowulf, we have very little information about the text, and it is anonymous. We know nothing about the author, who transcribed the poem, nor do we know the exact date of its composition. In addition, it is historically remote from us and written in Anglo-Saxon English, which bears very little resemblance to contemporary English.

Beowulf is structured around three fights, which are very similar, since they all involve Beowulf and a monster. In Beowulf a sense of security is linked with the great hall, as a place of shared values; it provides warmth and protection. The monsters threaten the security of the place; they are the external threat. In fact, literary texts in general tend to focus on external threats: they could be enemies in Shakespeare’s history plays who challenge the authority of the king, etc. It could also be chaos overtaking society, etc.

This was a warrior society, a fear to be invaded by outside forces. It was a period full of conflicts: there were lots of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In the 6th century, a period of re-Christianization began, just to be followed by a process of disruption with Viking incursions that led, among other things, to the sacking of monasteries. Beowulf then expresses the anxieties that would have dominated such a society. It sheds light on ideas of leadership and loyalty, illuminating thus a period of darkness (this era was called the Dark Ages).

Beowulf belongs to the tradition of epic or heroic poetry; it is an epic poem. An epic is a long narrative poem that revolves around the stories of warriors and heroes. An epic usually includes myths and legends, as is the case of Beowulf.  It is part of the oral tradition, as it was a story that was composed to be recited, only written much later. The main feature of epic poetry is the presence of an individual who embodies the qualities that are necessary in a leader; they constitute his greatness. Beowulf is in constant conflict between Christian ideas and pagan ideas; it comprises old and new ideas.

The poem also offers a lot of information about life, customs and institutions of Germanic culture in the pre-Christian era. The language and the style of the poem descend from a tradition of public oral poetry. There is a fusion of Christian and pre-Christian values: the poet was a unifier.

Middle English Literature

From the Norman conquest to Chaucer

Norman conquest of 1066

The Normans established themselves in the north of France.

The Normans brought their feudal structure:

1. they become the ruling class
2. they build castles and cathedrals
3. they have economic power and elaborate the tax system

After the invasion, Old English as we know it became mainly an oral language for several generations. When English re-emerges around 1200, it has suffered a considerable degree of changes, mainly borrowings from French.

In this period, England became strategically and culturally much more closely involved with France. Some historians argue that the battle of Hastings was not that significant, whereas there are others who claim the opposite. They say that the battle of Hastings per se was not that significant, but what mattered was the way it affected the country, in terms of politics and culture. In terms of literature, we especially see the consequences of the Conquest between 1350 and 1400 when Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland and the Gawain poet and others were writing.

The Conquest can be regarded as a military and political imposition upon England (England became a kind of extension of Northern France). The second half of the fourteenth century was marked by the clash of old and new impulses. Norman French was used in the majority of contexts (official and literary contexts), but the population continued using English (Old English, of course, not contemporary English). This combination of cultures (English and French) would be present in Chaucer’s works and in the works of his contemporaries. Thus, while Old English literature belonged to the heroic age with epic battles, Middle English Literature is not that homogenous and a wide range of voices can be heard; it is extremely diverse. There are courtly romances, religious dramas and a number of important works by women writers, like Margery Kempe (a controversial figure, had 14 children and had visions of meeting Christ). Her book is a kind of autobiography that she dictated. Being a woman and a mother, she paved the way to other women writers.

Despite its stories of devout saints, brave warriors and faithful lovers, medieval English literature was far from high-minded and encompassed a good deal of obscene material (lots of tales about harlots). Maybe this type of literature was politically invested, and quite anti-clerical.

GEOFFREY CHAUCER (1343-1400).

Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the great writers of English Literature. With Chaucer, humour enters English Literature. Chaucer was a courtier, a politician, a diplomat, a soldier and a civil servant. He travelled to France and Italy, where he became acquainted with French and Italian authors.

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