British Literature I - Honors Covers information from 440 - Victorian Era The Anglo Saxon Period 449-1066 AD College Prep Expectations: *writing *presentations *projects *participation - discussion & group work People were barbaric. They were very serious and had little humor...only the strong survived! Note: Not everyone will get an A or B Let s step back for a moment... The island that we now know as England was originally inhabited by Celtic tribes from Central Asia. 2 groups of Celts 1. Brythons (Britons) settled on the island of Britain 2. Gaels settled on the island of Ireland The Celts were farmers and hunters organized into tightly knit clans led by a chieftain to whom they were fiercely loyal Aug 16 2:56 PM The Dark Ages This was a time of: Bloody conflicts Violence Ignorance *reading Sep 3 1:35 PM Before the Anglo-Saxon Period were Aug 16 2:43 PM Aug 16 2:46 PM The Celtic Heroes: A Magical World * (around 300 BC) the island of Britain was inhabited by tall blond warriors who called themselves Celts * a group of these warriors, called Brythons, left their permanent stamp on Britain Aug 23 8:36 AM *The Roman General Julius Caesar attempted to conquer the British Isles in 55 B.C. * Put off by the Celtic warriors, he quickly claimed a victory and returned to Rome. * Thus leaving the Celts (and their neighbors to the north and west the Picts and Geats) in peace. Aug 23 8:32 AM 1
The Romans: The Great Administrators * about a hundred years later, the Roman Emperor Claudius finally conquered the Britons (the Celts) * Rome brought organization to Britain armies that prevented further invasions, networks of roads, and a great defensive wall seventy-three miles long, "civilization," Christianity, and literacy. *evidence of Roman influence--city names -caster -chester Aug 23 8:43 AM Around 600, invasion by Jutes (Danes) Later by Angles and Saxons These were Germanic tribes brought common language "Angle-ish" - ancestor of present day English = Old English or Anglo-Saxon But, Rome pulled out... * The Romans were having trouble in Rome. * By 409 AD, they had evacuated their troops from Britain, leaving roads, walls, villas, and public baths, but no central government. * Without Roman control, Britain was a country of separate clans. * separation led to weakness, weakness led to vulnerability to other conquering nations Aug 23 8:49 AM * The Celts did put up a brave fight but finally retreated into Cornwall and Wales in the far west of the country and Scotland in the north. Brief period of military success -King Arthur--character based on fact (510-600?) -Leader of celtic people -stood for chivalry -round table -education -ALL Leaders Sep 3 12:52 PM The Anglo Saxon period was an important time of chivalry and heroism "Angleland" lasted until 1066 William Duke of Normandy led the Norman Conquest Sep 3 12:56 PM Aug 23 8:50 AM Aug 17 1:50 PM 2
The Anglo Saxon Society began as many small kingdoms. Eventually, they absorbed one another until only seven kingdoms remained: 1. Essex 2. Wessex 3. Sussex 4. North Umbria 5. Merica & the Midlands 6. East Anglia 7. Kent Anglo Saxon hierarchy KING (Ring giver) leaders were admired for their generosity to loyal subjects Earls (Thanes or Free Warriors) claimed kinship to founder of tribes Freemen (Genlets) independent landowners Churls boundmen who trace ancestry to former captives of tribe responsible for hard labor Thralls slaves Anglo-Saxon Religion * The Anglo-Saxon religion was pagan. It was very dark, honoring warrior gods. *Tiw - god of war * Woden god of death, poetry and magic - chief god * Thor god of thunder and lightning * Religion focused on the fact that life was hard and the way to be remembered after death was to fight gloriously in battle. * Their religion focused on a strong belief in wyrd, or FATE, and they saved any admiration for heroic warriors whose fate it was to prevail in battle. * On the whole the religion was more concerned with ethics than mysticism. Focused on the earthly virtues of bravery, loyalty, generosity, and friendship. Aug 17 1:52 PM Aug 17 1:54 PM Aug 23 9:04 AM Daily life of Anglo-Saxons * Warfare was the order of the day. * People were fiercely loyal to their individual clans and leaders. Each tribe had their own king. * Fame and success were gained only through loyalty to the leader. * They tended to live close to their animals in single-family wooden buildings that surrounded a warm-lit communal hall, or mead hall. * In the dark, death-shadowed world of the Anglo-Saxons, the bards gave one element of hope: the possibility that heroic deeds would be remembered in the society s songs and oral poems. Warrior & Seafaring Life The People admired: men of outstanding courage loyalty to leader and tribe fierce personal valor good sportsmanship endurance athletic prowess bravery respect for each other action & fighting strength fair play These traits were considered necessary for the survival of all Other important aspects of Anglo-Saxon society: Democratic Art Pagan worship Weekdays from old Anglo-Saxon gods Tuesday - Tiw - god of war Thor Wednesday - Woden - chief A-S god Thursday - Thor - god of thunder Friday - Frigga - goddess of the home Aug 23 8:59 AM Aug 17 2:06 PM Sep 3 1:06 PM 3
Anglo-Saxon literature oral art--folklore, epics, riddles mead halls--king's gathering place drank mead, fought, were boisterous, lots of boasting, poor table manners, told stories and riddles scops--retell current and past events, record, remember, and retell history, preserve a record of achievements for later generations oral tradition necessitated a strong beat and alliteration Two important traditions of Anglo-Saxon poetry: Characteristics of A S Poetry: heroic (Epic Hero Cycle) almost no romantic love strong use of literary devices synecdoche part used to express the whole (sail = boat) metonymy names something by some object or attribute that is associated with it (crown = king) kenning metaphor that takes the place of a name (whale road = sea) litotes ironic understatement (he's no beauty) alliteration doesn't rhyme ceasura in each line (a pause) 4 principal beats in each line Spread of Christianity * In 597 a Roman missionary named Augustine arrived in the kingdom of Kent, where he established a monastery at Canterbury. * From there Christianity spread, and all of England was at least nominally Christian (some still held to the pagan beliefs.) 1. heroic tradition 2. elegiac tradition Sep 3 1:09 PM Aug 17 2:13 PM * The invaders of the north were plundering and destroying everything in their path. The Christian Monasteries * Monasteries served as centers of learning. * They are responsible for preserving the earlier Greek and Latin works, but also local works and epic poems like Beowulf. * In the scriptorium, or writing room, Monks spent their days hand copying texts. (Printing is still 800 years away.) * Latin remained the serious language of learning until the time of King Alfred. * St. Augustine instituted theanglo Saxon Chronicle, a lengthy running history of England. Because of these efforts, English gained respect as language of culture. Aug 23 9:09 AM Aug 23 9:08 AM During the 9th century, the Danes and Norse (Vikings) invaded and raided the British Islands. Aug 17 2:19 PM * At first their aim was to hit and run, to get what they could. Later they realized that England s winters were easier than their harsh, icy ones. * The Danish & Norse invaders set up camps and eventually gained control of parts of the country. Aug 23 8:53 AM 4
King Alfred of Wessex By the middle of the century most of northern, eastern and central England had fallen to the invaders. Only the Saxon king of Wessex managed to fight them off. * Under King Alfred and Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons fought to protec their land and way of life from the Danes. * Alfred's children, Ethelfleda, a brilliant military leader and strategist, and her brother Edward, carried on King Alfred s fight against the Danes. *But by the end of the 10th century, the Danes recaptured the land that Alfred the Great had claimed. They forced the rule of Danish kings. The Norman Conquest * In 1042 a descendent of Alfred s took the throne, the deeply religious Edward the Confessor. * Edward died and left the throne childless. * William, Duke of Normandy, declared that Edward had sworn an oath making him heir. * When a counsel of nobles and church officials chose an English earl, Harold, to succeed Edward, William invaded England. * At the Battle of Hastings in 1066, Harold was killed and William the Conqueror was crowned king on Christmas Day. Thus ending the Anglo-Saxon time period. Aug 23 8:52 AM Aug 23 8:54 AM Aug 23 8:57 AM 5