Lecture 1. The English literature. English heroic legends.
Folklore
The term folklore is generally used to refer to the traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices
of a people which have beem disseminated in an informal manner -- The term "folklore" was first
coined by William J. Thoms in 1846. Thoms was a British antiquarian who wanted a simple term
to replace various awkward phrases floating around at the time to discuss the same concept;
phrases such as "popular antiquities", "the lore of the people", and "the manners, customs,
observances, supersitions, ballads, proverbs etc, of the olden times".
English heroic legends. Beowulf
Beowulf [ beiawulf] is the most important poem of the Anglo-Saxon period. Though the Angles
brought Beowulf with them to England, it has nothing to do with it. The epic is not even about the
Anglo-Saxons, but about the Scandinavians when they lived on the continent in the 3rd or 4th
century.
The story of Beowulf was written down in the 10th century by an unknown author, and the
manuscripts are now kept in the British Museum. Its social interest lies in the vivid description of
the life of that period, of the manners and customs of the people at that time, of the relations among
the members of the society and in the portrayal of their towns, ships and feasts.
The scene takes place among the Jutes, who lived on the Scandinavian peninsula at the time.
Their neighbours were the Danes. The Jutes and the Danes were good sailors. Their ships sailed
round the coast of the peninsula and to far-off lands.
The poem describes the warriors in battle and at peace, during their feasts and amusements.
The main hero, Beowulf, is a strong, courageous, unselfish, proud and honest man. He defends his
people against the unfriendly forces of nature and becomes the most beloved and kindest king on
the earth as the theme of the poem is the straggle of good against evil. Beowulf fights not for his
glory, he fights for the benefit of his people.
Although Beowulf was a Jute and his home is Jutland we say that The Song of Beowulf is an
English poem. The social conditions it depicted are English. Both the form and the spirit of the
poem are English. The poem is a true piece of English literature. The poem is composed with great
skill. The author used many vivid words and descriptive phrases. It is not only the subj ect of the
poem that interests us but also its style. Beowulf is one of the early masterpieces of the AngloSaxon or Old English language. The poem is famous for its metaphors. For instance, the poet calls
the sea "the swan's road", the body — "the bone-house", a warrior — "a heroin-battle", etc.
Folk-Songs and Ballads
Though there was hardly any written literature in England in the 15th century, folk poetry
flourished in England and Scotland. Folk-songs were heard everywhere. Songs were made up for
every occasion. There were harvest songs, mowing songs, spinning and weaving songs, etc.
The best of folk poetry were the ballads. A ballad is a narrative composition in rhythmic verse
suitable for singing. A ballad is a short narrative in verse with the refrain following each stanza.
The refrain was always one and the same. Ballads were often accompanied by musical instruments
and dancing. They became the most popular form of amusement. Some ballads could be
performed by several people because they consisted of dialogues.
There were various kinds of ballads: historical, legendary, fantastical, lyrical and humorous.
The ballads passed from generation to generation through the centuries — that's why there are
several versions of the same ballads. So about 305 ballads have more than a thousand versions.
The most popular ballads were those about Robin Hood.
The art of printing did not stop the development of folk-songs and ballads. They continued to
appear till the 18th century when they were collected and printed. The common people of England
expressed their feelings in popular ballads.
The Robin Hood Ballads
England's favourite hero, Robin Hood, is a partly legendary, partly historical character. The
old ballads about the famous outlaw say that he lived in about the second half of the 12th century,
in the times of King Henry II and his son Richard the Lion-Heart. Society in those days was mainly
divided into lords and peasants. Since the battle of Hastings (1066) the Saxons had been oppressed
by the Normans. In those days many of the big castles belonged to robber-barons who ill-treated
the people, stole children, took away the cattle. If the country-folk resisted, they were either killed
by the barons or driven away, and their homes were destroyed. They had no choice but to go out
in bands and hide in the woods; then they were declared "outlaws" (outside the protection of the
law).
The forest abounded in game of all kinds. The Saxons were good hunters and skilled
archers. But in the reign of Henry II the numerous herds of deer were proclaimed "the king's deer"
and the forests "the king's forests". Hunting was prohibited. A poor man was cruelly punished for
killing one of those royal animals. This was the England of Robin Hood about whom there are
some fifty or more ballads.
Robin Hood is a brave outlaw. In Sherwood Forest near Nottingham there was a large band of
outlaws led by Robin Hood. He came from a family of Saxon land owners, whose land had been
seized by a Norman baron. Robin Hood took with him all his family and went to the forest. The
ballads of Robin Hood tell us of his adventures in the forest as an outlaw. Many Saxons joined
him there. They were called "the merry men of Robin Hood".
Robin Hood was strong, brave and clever. He was much cleverer, wittier and nobler than any
nobleman. He was the first in all competitions. Robin Hood was portrayed as a tireless enemy of
the Norman oppressors, a favourite of the country folk, a real champion of the poor. He was
generous and tender-hearted and he was always ready to respond to anybody's call for help. His
worst enemies were the Sheriff of Nottingham, the bishop and greedy monks. He always escaped
any trouble and took revenge on his enemies. Robin Hood was a man of a merry joke and kind
heart.
The ballads tell us of Robin Hood's friends — of Little John who was ironically called "little"
for being very tall; of thejolly fat Friar Tuck who skilfully used his stick in the battle. Their hatred
for the cruel oppressors united them and they led a merry and free life in Sherwood Forest.
The ballads of Robin Hood gained great popularity in the second half of the 14th century when
the peasants struggled against their masters and oppressors. The ballads played an important role
in the development of English poetry up to the 20th century. They became so popular that the
names of their authors were forgotten.
Questions and Tasks
1. When was poem Beowulf compiled?
2.What is the social interest of the poem?
3.What time does the poem tell us of?
4.Where is the scene of the poem set?
5.What does the poem tell us about the Jutes and the Danes?
6. What kind of man was the young knight of the Jutes Beowulf?
7.How is the poem composed?
8.What interests us besides the subject of the poem?
9.What is the poem famous for?
10. Retell the contents of Beowulf.
10.What poetry flourished in England in the 15th century?
11.What kind of songs were there?
12.What was the best of folk poetry?
13.What is a ballad?
14.Why could some ballads be performed by several people?
15.What kinds of ballads were there?
16.Explain why there are several versions of the same ballads.
17.What were the most popular ballads?
Project work.
1. Geoffrey Chaucer’s life. The Canterbury Tales.
2. William Shakespeare and his masterpieces. His well-known quotes.