Medieval Period
aka
The Middle Ages
1066-1485
Historical
Influences
 1066-Norman
Conquest
 1154-End of Norman Rule
 1215-King John signed the Magna Carta
 1310-1410-Hundred Years War
 1348-Black
Death – the plague
Revolt
 1476-William Caxton-printing press
 1455-1485-The War of Roses:
 House of York vs House of Lancasters
 1380-Peasants’
Medieval Society
Villages
were the center of life
Lords protected townspeople and
granted property
Merchants traded with other
cities/towns

Bakers, butchers, grocers, millers,
smiths, carpenters, weavers, mason,
shoemakers
Peasants/Serfs
worked the manors
of the kingdoms, exchanged services
for protection and substance (Some
were free men)
Peasants/Serfs Laboring
Canterbury Cathedral
Daily
Living
Trade grew as result of Crusades
More communication and a spread of
knowledge
Development of guilds: craftsmen
and merchants gained status
Everyday living focused on
agriculture/farming
Many celebrations in town centered
around performers (troubadours,
acrobats, knights jousting, and
merchants selling products)
Love
of Literature
Books were treasured and kept
protected in libraries
 Wandering scholars traveled during
Crusades and learned new writing
styles
 People interested in romantic writing &
courtly love
 Only rich women were educated
 All knights must read/write
 Some went on to universities- (this
lead to the Renaissance- spread of art,
literature, human potential)

Sociological Influences

Christianity
 Roman Catholic
Church united all
of Western
Europe
 Pervaded daily life
and English
society
 Faith replaced
Fate
Philosophical
Influences
 Christianity
 King
is the rule of God on earth
 Abuses in Catholic Church
 Code of Chivalry
 Honor, truth, courtesy both on and
off the battlefield
Types of Literature
 Ballad
(recited or sung)
 Romance
 Short
Story (frame story)
 Drama
Ballad
 Characteristics
 Incremental
repetition (repeat
w/variation)
 Refrain (repeat in set pattern)
 Closure (last stanza resolves
narration)
 Little attention to characterization
or description
 Dialogue (usually colloquial)
Ballad
 Form
– usually quatrains (4 lines)
 Rhythm – 8 syllables line 1 & 3
6 syllables line 2 & 4
 Form of verse to be sung or recited.
 Characterized by one simple,
exciting episode in narrative form.
 Stanza
Ballad
 Themes
– domestic topics with common
appeal
 Love
 Unrequited love/heartbreak
 Physical strength/Heroic deeds
 Current events
 Lost dreams
 Murderous acts/desire for revenge
 Jealous lovers
Sir Patrick Spens
Scottish Ballad
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT1r-
smQkzQ
Modern Ballads
 “November
Rain”- Guns ‘N Roses
 “I Can’t Help Falling in Love”- UB40
 “Wonderful Tonight” or “Layla”- Eric Clapton
 “When a Man Loves a Woman”
 “My Girl”- The Temptations
 “Every Breath You Take”- The Police
 “Hey Jude”- The Beatles
 “Your Song”- Elton John
 “American Pie”- Don McLean
 “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”- Aerosmith
 “Bohemian Rhapsody”- Queen
Ballad Analysis
 1.
What is the theme of the ballad?
 2.
Summarize the story told in the song.
 3.
What is the refrain? What lines repeat?
What effect does this have on the song?
 4.
 5.
What is the conflict in the ballad if any?
What truths about life are reflected in the
story?
Pair-Share!
 With
a partner, make a list of THREE
ballads.
 For
each ballad, write a brief summary of
the “theme”
is the “refrain” in each song? (What
lines are repeated?)
 What
 Briefly
discuss the story within each of your
songs. Is there a lesson or moral? Explain
Medieval Romance
A
story that presents remote or
imaginative incidents.
 Characteristics
 Supernatural elements (details
involving wizards, potions,
mystical interventions of strength,
power, etc.
 Adventure (deeds of a hero who
overcomes great obstacles for
love, honor, or another ideal
 Themes
Love – the reward that
requires some
accomplishment, or task to be
completed to acquire the
assurance of that love.
Chivalry – behavior that
includes virtues of bravery,
honesty, demonstrated for the
pleasure of a king or lady in
the name of God.

Drama
 Miracle/Mystery
Play –taught
Biblical stories
 Morality Plays- taught religious
doctrine and emphasized moral
struggles of everyday people
Chaucer’s Frame Story
Story – A brief work of
fiction with a simple plot and
setting that reveals a character
at a crucial moment.
 Exemplum – A special
entertaining anecdote (tale) that
is intended to illustrate a truth
or a moral.
 Short
Chaucer’s Literary Contribution
– The repetition of sounds at the
end of words; specifically with Chaucer
heroic couplets, two rhymed lines of iambic
pentameter.
 Rhyme
–
 Direct (when a writer explicitly states the
character’s traits)
 Indirect (when a writer reveals traits by
what a character thinks, says, does,
describes)
 Characterization
Chaucer’s Literary Contribution
Story – a brief work of fiction
with a simple plot and setting that
reveals character at a crucial
moment.
 Satire – Writing that ridicules or
holds up to contempt the faults of
individuals, groups, or institutions.
Although usually humorous, its
purpose is to correct the flaws and
shortcomings it illuminates.
 Short