brit lit week two.pptVIP

English and American Literature Cycle: British Literature? Grade Four of the Four-Year Program: Xian Eurasia University Fall Semester, 2008 Medieval English Literature The Norman Conquest of 1066 CE changed English civilization forever The French Duke of Normandy, William, led his armies against Harold, the Saxon King of England The Norman Conquest Harold was defeated and killed at the Batlle of Hastings The French feudal system was established in England by William, who became known as “the Conqueror” According to this system, the king owned all the land of his kingdom, and made gifts of it to his noblemen and royal servants These noblemen had vast holdings of land, and were the absolute masters of the serfs who worked for them Influence of the Norman Conquest on English Society The body of customs and ideals known as chivalry was introduced into England Chivalry was a warrior code of honor and behavior that idealized women and the Virgin Mary Anglo-Saxon Decline With the coming of the Normans, the Anglo-Saxon population sunk to a point of abjectness (lowness) in the social hierarchy The Anglo-Saxon language was considered to be “low” and was despised by the new masters of the land The French language, as well as French notions of proper conduct, education, science and law quickly came to dominate the entire country Norman French Influences on English Language French words and phrases, such as lieutenant (“place keeper”) and beef (“boeuf”) enter the English language The Normans spoke French, the Anglo-Saxons spoke English and the scholars used Latin Literature of the Anglo-Norman Period The main forms of literature during this period were histories, chronicles and romances Most books were written in French or Latin The “pure” Anglo-Saxon language began to disappear The literature produced at this time was written for the use of the nobility, church leaders and scholars The predominant form of literary creation was the romance The Romances of the Anglo-Norman Per