The Medieval Period 1066-1485
Begins with the Battle of Hastings. King Harold of England was
defeated by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy. William
said he had been promised the throne of England.
Results:
 Property was seized
 Martial law was in effect
 A strong central government was set up
 William reigned for 21 years and was a good administrator
The Normans were descended from Vikings (France)
They were:
 Good soldiers
 Excellent lawyers and administrators
They lacked inventiveness. They gained much from the AngloSaxons.
Chivalry: the noble qualities of courage and honor associated
with medieval knights.
Courtesy: politeness. Showing good manners.
Geoffrey Chaucer 1340-1400
Is known as “father of English literature”
The Canterbury Tales is his most popular work
 He was a civil servant, a diplomat, soldier, and a courtier who
served 3 kings.
 He was close to dangerous political sturggles
 Some of his friends were assassinated for their beliefs
 He was able to observe first-hand the significant activities
that were changing England from a medieval society
The Pilgrimage – a trip for those who could afford it to a
religious shrine. It was a vacation as well as a trip to ensure the
salvation of their souls. Pilgrims traveled together for safety.
The Devices of Satire
TERM
Mockery
DEFINITION
To make fun of something
EXAMPLE
"Man is the only animal that blushes -- or
needs to."
-Mark Twain
Sarcasm
A harsh, personally directed
comment; to use praise to mock
someone
To refer to a 98-pound weakling as a
"real he-man"
Overstatement
To say more than you mean to say;
to exaggerate
"I'm so hungry that I could eat a horse!"
Understatement
To say less than you mean to say
"Mount Everest is not small."
Parody
Mockery of a specific, known
person, literary work, movie, event
General MacArthur said, "Old soldiers
never die, they just fade away." Parodies:
"Old blondes never fade, they just dye
away"; "Old soldiers never die, but
young ones do."
Irony
To say one thing, yet to mean
another
In Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet,
when Romeo tells Mercutio that his
wound is slight, Mercutio says, "No, it's
not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a
church door; but 'tis enough, 'twill
serve."
Bathos
To go from the serious to the
ridiculous quickly
"I love my country, my wife, my job, and
chocolate candy."
Mock-Heroic
Imitates, yet exaggerates and
distorts, the literary epic and its style
"The garbage man, tall and strong, lifted
his glittering can of rubbish high, as if it
were a feather, and with the strength of
Thor, hurled it into the dumpster."
MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
A. Courtly Romances

literature of the knights and their ladies
B. Stories to Enhance Sermons

used by the clergy

exemplum-short story, usually inserted into the text of a sermon, that illustrates a moral
principle
C. Ballads

narrative folk songs

folk ballads-stories told orally & sometimes sung; passed down from generation to
generation & usually about the life of the common people
D. Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales & Thomas Becket

long narrative poem including: a general introduction ("The Prologue") & a series of stories
told in verse by a group of pilgrims

pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral to see the shrine of St. Thomas Becket,
Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered in the cathedral in 1170 by the knights in the
service of his one time best friend King Henry II