Lecture The Literature of the 15th century. Robin Hood Ballads

Lecture 3. The Literature of the 15th century. Robin Hood Ballads
1. Historical Background.
2. Different Kinds of Folklore.
3. The Classification of Ballads.
4. Unique Features of the Medieval English and Scottish Ballads.
5. Robin Hood Ballads.

1. Historical Background
In 1476 William Caxton set up the first English printing press in Westminster after which event knowledge began to spread again. William Caxton was a learned man and liked to translate French stories into English for his own pleasure. When on business in Germany and France he learned the art of printing. He considered it a good way to earn a living, so he set up the printing press in England. During the next 15 years Caxton printed 65 works, both translations and originals. He sometimes had to translate French and Latin literature works into English by himself to increase the sales of his books among English people.
At this time literature was still being written in various languages in England, including Latin, Norman-French, and English because of the multilingual nature of the audience for literature in the 15th century. A major work from the 15th century is Le Morte d'Arthur (Arthur’s Death) by Sir Thomas Malory, which was printed by Caxton in 1485. This is compilation of some French and English Arthurian romances, and was among the earliest books printed in England.

2. Different Kinds of Folklore
Though there had already appeared the written language and the printing press in England, most people, including aristocracy, could neither read nor write. That's why folklore was developing rapidly. Such genres as romances, fables, fabliau, and ballads were the most common.
The Romances. They were mostly spread among provincial people though the court loved romantic stories & lyrical poems too. The romances idealized their characters and the relationship between people. They praised chivalrous attitude towards women. Many of such stories came from old French, which was a Romantic dialect. So such works were called "Romances". Romances penetrated into England during the reign of Henry the Second & his wife Eleanor. She was the granddaughter of a Norman Duke and tried to preserve her French culture. The most notable romances were "King Horn" and Arthurian Legends about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
The Fable. In the literature of the townsfolk we find the fable & the fabliau. Fables were short stories with animals for characters. They always conveyed a moral.
The Fabliau. (Фаблио - небольшой жанр средневековой французской литературы, пересказ анекдотического события в прозе или стихах) Fabliaux were funny stories about cunning humbugs & the unfaithful wives of rich merchants. These stories were collected and written down much later. Contrary to the romances the literature of the towns did not idealize their characters. These stories show a practical attitude to life.
Folk Songs and Ballads. As the majority of people couldn’t read or write in the 15th century, folk poetry flourished. In England and Scotland folk songs were heard everywhere. Songs were made up for every occasion. The best of folk poetry were the ballads. The word "ballad" comes from the French "ballet", which in its turn was derived from the Italian word "ballare", which means, "to dance".
English and Scottish ballads were short narratives in verse partly lyrical and partly epic, which were either for singing or for reciting. They were often accompanied by musical instruments and dancing. They were sung in towns and villages and became the most popular form of amusement. Some ballads could be performed by several people because they consisted of dialogues. They expressed the thoughts and sentiments of the people and they became so popular that the names of their authors were forgotten. The ballads were handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. The most popular ones in England were those about Robin Hood.