Introduction. The literature of middle ages

MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE (1100-1485)
The Literature of the Norman Period (12th - 13th centuries)
Sir Thomas Malory (1395 -1471)

• a series of stories in prose
• sentences have a beauty of movement
• all the adventures of King Arthur
• twenty-one books reflects the evolution of feudal society
• the most complete English version of stories about King Arthur.

the first English printer

• published in 1485 by Caxton
• “Sir Thomas Malory’s Book of King Arthur and of His Noble Knights of Round Table”
• “Morte d’Arthur” (old French for “Death of Arthur”).

Questions and Tasks
1. What places became the centres of learning in England in the 7th-11th
centuries?
2. What was the main plot of the literary works of that time?
3. What can you tell about the literary activity of Caedman?
4. What are Cynewulf’s works notable for?
5. Who was the greatest writer of the 7-8th centuries in England?
6. What was the most important work written by Bede?
7. What was Alfred the Great famous for?
8. What did the literature of the early Middle Ages and the church
teach?
Questions and Tasks
1. In what languages did communication go in England in Norman period?
2. What were the tales and verse in Norman period about?
3. What did the term “romance” mean in the medieval period?
4. What can you tell about Romances which were composed in the 12-
13th centuries?
4. Who collected the romances of King Arthur and what were they
about?
6. What is the difference between fables and fabliaux?