Lecture 2 Middle English Literature. Pre-Renaissance Period 213

Literature of the 15th century

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  Folk poetry flourished in England and Scotland in the 15th century.
  
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  The most interesting examples of folk poetry were ballads. Ballads and songs expressed the sentiments and thoughts of people. They were handed down orally from generation to generation.
  
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  As regards to content, the ballads are usually divided into three groups: historical, heroic, and romantic ballads.
  
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  The Robin Hood ballads, numbering some forty separate ballads, were written down at various times not earlier than the 14th and 15th centuries.
  
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  Robin Hood is a partly historical, partly legendary character.
  
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  Most probably he lived in the second half of the 12th century, during the reign of Henry II and his son Richard, the Lion Heart.
  

Questions and Tasks

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  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?
  

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  1. How was the protest against Catholic church and the growth of national feeling reflected in English literature? 2. What do you know about William Langland’s best poem? 3. How many periods can be distinguished in Geoffrey Chaucer’s literary work? 5. Why is Chaucer’s famous “The Canterbury Tales” still of great value to the world literature? 5. In what do you see Chaucer’s contribution to literature? 6. What is the English literature of the 15th century characterized by? 7. What groups of English ballads do you know? 8. What group do Robin Hood ballads belong to? 9. What features of Robin Hood’s character attracted the people most of all?
  

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