THE CONQUEST OF BRITAIN
Pages 4-7 in text
 800-600 B.C.: Celts from southern Europe invade the British Isles
 55 B.C.: Romans invade (much more sophisticated) and ruled
300 years. They introduce Christianity.
 407 A.D.: European tribes invaded Italy-Romans left Britain to defend Italy.
 Late 4th Century: Anglo Saxons (from Germany)
Take over what is now England

597 A.D. : Columba (soldier and abbot) &
St. Augustine established monasteries at Canterbury.
This promoted peace and unified the English people.
 9th Century: Vikings from Norway and Denmark
violently invade the British Isles. Impose Feudalism
 King Alfred (“the Great”) resisted honorably and generated a
truce and made peace with the Danes.
 1042: King Edward (“the Confessor”—deeply religious) his death
led to the end of the Anglo-Saxon period of history.
 William, Duke of Normandy, takes over throne and promotes
Feudalism (exchanging property for personal service).
 1154: King Henry II ends Norman rule and appoints Thomas
Becket to archbishop.
 Becket refuses royal policy and forms alliance with Pope. Becket
is murdered in his cathedral.
 To atone for murder, Henry makes pilgrimage to Becket’s tomb
THE FEUDAL SYSTEM
 the land belonged to the king who divided it among his
powerful supporters (the nobles).
 Nobles were given titles (Barons)
 Barons paid taxes and supplied knights to the king.
 Knights received smaller pieces of land (Manors)
 Peasants (serfs) worked the manors and were
lowest class in the feudal system.
THE FEUDAL SYSTEM’S DECLINE
 The Black Death (plague) in 1348 created labor shortages and
increased value of peasant’s work.
 Landowners began paying more for work
 Free peasantry replaced the serfs.
King
Lords
Lesser Lords
Knights
Peasants/
Townspeople
Question: What aspects of feudal society are similar to aspects of
modern-day America?
Literature of the Period
Began with spoken word—official records were not kept. Most were
made up of the following:
Heroic Poetry:
The Epic:
celebrating victories of war
long narrative poem celebrating deeds of a warrior as in
Beowulf
The Elegy: a lyric poem mourning the loss of someone or something
THE EXTETER BOOK
A collection of manuscripts and stories told by scops (travelling storytellers)
and compiled by monks during the reign of Alfred the Great (871-899)
“The Seafarer”
“The Wanderer”
“The Wife’s Lament”
All poems are lyric poetry—they express the thoughts and feelings of a
single speaker.
They are also about exile—a prolonged stay away from home that is
forced.
Journal Entry:
Have you ever been exiled from someplace (home, school, a friend’s
house, a job) or know of someone who has? If so, describe the event and
how it made you feel. If not, discuss how it would make you feel if you
were exiled from home.
Beowulf (page 20)
 Britain’s first epic – long narrative poem celebrating the
deeds of a hero
 It incorporates poetic devices
Kenning: 2 word poetic renaming of a noun
(example: “whale’s home” for the “sea”)
Caesura: rhythmic breaks in the middle of lines—a pause
for breath
 Beowulf is a self portrait of a culture (when
Christianity began taking over pagan
beliefs)
 About a warrior and slayer
who aids a king in his fight of 3 battles
against terrifying monsters.
Beowulf:
a warrior from southern
Sweden (a Geat)
King Hrothgar: Danish king who has been
battling a monster for 12 years
Grendel:
Swampland creature terrorizing Hrothgar’s
great banquet hall
Beowulf is considered a true EPIC HERO --legendary hero—
one who is larger than life whose accomplishments are
celebrated in traditional tales.
Questions to consider:
1. What are the similarities and differences between the first
and last battle?
2. What qualities about Beowulf make him a legendary
hero?
3. Cite some examples of boasting (bragging) from the
characters Grendel, Beowulf, & Dragon. Discuss why
they do this and whether or not it is effective.
http://teacher2b.com/literature/beowlspl.htm
History of the English Church and People (page 86)
In the fifth century, Rome had abandoned Britain. To keep learning
alive, monks kept knowledge flowing by copying books and preserving
literature.
Bede
 The most learned scholar of his day
 Wrote 40 books
 Helped originate the dating of events from
the birth of Christ
 Main concern was the expansion of
Christianity in England
A History of the English Church and People
 Bede’s most famous piece of literature
 Describes the conquest of Britain by the
Anglo-Saxon Tribes
 Translated from Latin to English for King Alfred
The Anglo Saxon Chronicle
 A historic record of old kings and a soldier’s memories of battle
 Rewritten by monks to piece together historic events
 Became a kind of chain letter from one generation to another
Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343?-1400) Page 100
 Son of a merchant (middle class)
 Page in a royal house
 Served in the English army & captured in France
 Married Philippa Pan—a lady in waiting to the queen
 Began writing as a teen & evolved to be the Father of English
Poetry
Pilgrimage: a trip taken for inspiration
The Canterbury Tales
 Through a window, Chaucer observed pilgrims starting their
journey to Canterbury
 Tales about different characters and personal situations making
the pilgrimage
 Only 24 of the 120 tales were finished
 The tales give a picture of various lifestyles and cultures of the
time period
 Most tales are written in heroic couplet (pair of rhyming lines
with 5 stressed syllables )
The Prologue: the narrator (Chaucer?) meets 29 pilgrims. Each
must tell four tales during their journey. The person with the best
tale is treated to a feast.
Chaucer uses social commentary—writing that offers insight into
society, its values and customs. He also uses direct and indirect
characterization to describe each pilgrim.
Direct Characterization: When the writer tells the reader specific
details about the character’s personality and looks
Example: The teacher was angry and frustrated with the class.
Indirect Characterization: When the writer gives you details about
the actions and words of the character and you the reader draw your
own conclusions about the character’s personality.
Example: The teacher slammed down her fist and frowned at the
class.
Character Map
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
ARISTOCRACY: status based on birth
UPPER CLASS: based on acquired wealth
MIDDLE CLASS: based on mastery of trade
VIRTUOUS LOWER CLASS: poor but honest
DEGRADED LOWER CLASS: low manners
Discussion: How might a character map look based on today’s
society? Discuss at least two situations that may bring various people
from all walks of life together.
OPEN BOOK TEST (no notes) 30 multiple choice questions
Beowulf:
Bede:
Chaucer:
Know characters and main plot & theme
Look over notes of his biography and events of time
Know biographical info. And characters from
Prologue
Know terminology
from notes:
characterization, heroic couplet, kenning, etc.
Medieval Europe and Arthurian Legends (1400-1500)
FEUDALISM: A system of government and landownership. In
exchange for loyalty, a king would provide land (to nobles).
CODE OF CHIVALRY: A code of conduct for knights
to be brave, just, and virtuous (high morals).
MEDIEVAL LITERATURE (ROMANCES)
Based on legend: a narrative that includes elements
Of history & fiction
 Features heroic characters, quests
 memorable deeds
 Sometimes embellished with supernatural
events and fantasy
King Arthur Legends:





There are several versions
Stories were told orally for generations before being written
Heroes and villains are clearly defined
King Arthur represents the hero of all heroes (honest, brave)
Action is episodic (made up of many stories that focus on Arthur
and his knights of the round table)—“Soap opera”
SIR THOMAS MALORY (1405-1471)
 Author of the most complete collection of King Arthur stories
 Spent much of his life in prison (stealing, extortion, assault)
 Wrote Morte d’Arthur which is a retelling of existing Arthurian
legends.
Famous Characters/Elements
 Uther Pendragon: King of Britain and father of Arthur. He gives
his son to Merlin for secret upbringing and dies shortly after.
 Igraine:
mother of Arthur
 Merlin:
Magician and advisor to royalty. He arranges for
Arthur to be raised by Sir Ector and guides him toward kingship.
 Sir Ector: Noble man (honorable) who takes in Arthur as his own
son.
 Sir Kay: The son of Sir Ector. He and Arthur are raised as
brothers
 Gwynevere: Arthur’s queen who falls in love with Sir Launcelot.
 Camelot:
Where Arthur holds his court
 Sir Gawain: Nephew of Arthur and knight of the Round Table.
He is strong in the morning and weak in the evening.
 Excalibur: Arthur’s magical sword
 Round Table:
Where all of King Arthur’s knights meet to
discuss the search of the Holy Grail. There is no head to the
table—Arthur’s way of showing equality to all of his men
 Chivalry:
1.
2.
3.
4.
A code that knights pledged:
supreme allegiance to God
loyalty to the king
to act honorably and bravely
to protect the weak and helpless
 Lady of the Lake: a supernatural being who gives Excalibur to
Arthur.
 Morgan Le Fay: a sorceress who often plots against Arthur.
Some legends say she is his half sister.
 Sir Launcelot:
The bravest of Arthur’s knights. Has an affair
with Gwynevere and destroys the fellowship of the Round Table.
 Sir Modred: Often identified as Arthur’s nephew or illegitimate
son. He tries to take over the throne during Arthur’s absence.
 Sir Bedivere: Surviving companion of Arthur who returns
Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake at the dying king’s request.
THE BALLAD TRADITION—Page 200
Because most people were unable to read or write, they relied on local
storytellers—otherwise known as balladeers. They created
Folk Ballads:
rhymed verses that are recited or sung telling stories
and tall tales
Typical ballads deal with topics such as
 Murderous acts
 Desire for revenge
 Tragic accidents/disasters
 Heroic deeds
 Jealousy & acts of love
The Ballad Stanza: this contains a four line stanza (a quatrain). The
first and third lines have four stressed syllables; the
second and fourth lines have three. Only the second
and fourth lines rhyme.
“Bonny Barbara Allan”: a ballad about a young man and woman who
die for love
“Get Up and Bar the Door”: a comic ballad about a husband and wife
bickering about who must lock the door
Ballad activity / Poetic Devices:
Metaphor: Making a comparison of two unlikely things
Ex: Your room is a pigsty!
Simile: Making a comparison using “like” or “as”
Ex: Your room is like a pigsty!
Personification: Using human qualities to non-human things
Ex: The sun smiled down at me while I was at the beach.
Onomatopoeia: Words that sound like they mean
Ex: Bang went the gun!
Hyperbole: Use of exaggeration
Ex: I have a million things to do!