Literature of the Old and Middle English Periods精品分析.pptVIP

* Literature of the Old and Middle English Periods Literature in England, CE450-1485 * What are Old and Middle English? Major shifts in the English language, not mere evolution, distinguish Old and Middle English from Modern English. Old English was the English spoken prior to the influence of the Norman-French speaking Normans in 1066. Middle English was the English spoken between the Norman invasion and around 1470, when the printing press made London English the standard. * Important Events of the Old English Period (450-1066) Historical Literary 43 Britain conquered by Rome. 47 London founded. 410 Romans withdraw. 601 Christianity in Britain. 793 Vikings invade. 895 Alfred defeats Danish fleet. 1042 Death of last Danish king. ~800 Beowulf * Major Authors of the Old English Period (450-1066) The Venerable B?da (673-735) C?dmon (d. 680) King Alfred the Great (849-899) Beowulf’s author (~800) * The Venerable B?da (673-735) Monastic scholar and historian; internationally known and one of the finest of the time. Most well-known for Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (Ecclesiastical History of the English People) (731). Describes the history of England from the time of the Roman invasion, the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons, and the coming of Augustine of Canterbury in 597. Dominant theme is the spread of Christianity by divine providence. * (Left) a page from one of B?da’s histories; (Below) a modern depiction of B?da. * C?dmon (d. 680) The first known English poet. Monk at Whitby Abbey sometime between 657 and 680 according to B?de. Said to have previously been a shepherd, but blessed by God with singing and verse in a vision he received. B?da included one of C?dmon’s poems in his account, but none of C?dmon’s other poems have survived. * (Left) Whitby Abbey, destroyed in 867; (below) an original copy of “C?dmon’s Hymn”. * “C?dmon’s Hymn” nu scylun hergan hefaenricaes uard metud?s maecti end his modgidanc uerc uuldurfadur swe he uundra gihwaes eci dr