The Conquest of Britain:
- Two groups of Celts: Brythons settled in Britain and Gaels settled in Ireland
- First Druids took domination in Britain, then the Romans with Julius Caesar, and finally the Anglo-Saxons
- Stories may reflect the life of having now power, the Celts were always under some type of control other then themselves.
- When I thought of how to connect this, the first thing I thought of was the Celtics. Kind of sad, but I thought they must look up to their chieftain (the players much listen to their coach). Well I don't have to worry about forgetting the people of the time period.
- The Celts kept Christianity with them even after they became free of the Romans, who brought the Christian religion to them.
- It seems that the Celts had no problem adopting Christianity and accepted it openly. ?
- Christianity helped the English people to find peace and unity, maybe that's why they didn't rebel against it?
- The Danes and Norse (the Vikings) invaded England in an extremely violent manner
- King Alfred the Great was a hero for keeping Danish descent in the east and north and allowing Anglo-Saxon rule in the south. King Alfred also encouraged a rebirth of learning and education. Takes me right back to Alexander the Great another national hero and The Great Awakening. Just what comes to mind when hearing these things, something to relate to.
- Danish rule eventually took over all of England until 1042 a descendent of Alfred returned, Edward or "The confessor". He was called the Confessor because it was the name for someone who believed to have lived a saintly life but who was not a martyr.
- The Normans or "north men" (bad connection but Beyoncé's baby North, sorry it popped into my head) invaded England and would eventually have full control over England with William as the king.
- Political tensions will be a big topic of the literature starting with the Battle of Hastings in which Harold II was killed, who was supposed to be the king according to the Saxon council, but William became king instead. Led a Norman way of life in England.
- England would now be ran by a Feudal system which was an exchange of property for personal service. The king parceled his land to his supporters, who were normal and called Barons. Barons were usually noble due to inheritance, but were to lowest rank of nobility. Literature will include social status issues.
- Henry Plantagenet, Henry II, takes the throne and immediately clashes with the church. The king appoints his friend Thomas Becket who sides with the pope instead of the king. This angers the king and he arranges for Becket to be murdered, who is murdered by four men hired by the King. Sign of political corruptness.
- The king condemns his crime by making the holy journey, or pilgrimage, which becomes a tradition as a devotion to religion. Conflict between Church and State, yet they still rely on each other. Going to be helpful or hurtful? Maybe the literature will tell.
- King Richard I focuses on military expeditions and King John attempts to tax the Barons in order to make up for the money spent on military.
- Signs of overpower within the high status group and also first signs of rebelling. Barons refuse to accept the taxes.
- Magna Carta made in order to limit the power of the government. First time people are protected. Literature will reflect the insult they felt and then the freedom they felt. But the big question is will it last? Probably not.
Lancasters, Yorks, and Tudors:
- Lancastrians against the War of Roses. Henry the IV, V, or VII or Richard III will become king. Henry Tudor leads rebellion against Richard III, who dies in battle. Henry VII is awarded the throne who later marries Richard's niece and the War of Roses comes to an end. I fell like this is Romeo and Juliet. The feud comes to an end by the end of the story, but only after so many deaths (at least they only had a few deaths in this situation)
- Lancaster is supposed to be an allusion in the Game of Thrones TV show, which was mentioned in class. But to be entirely honest I have never seen that TV show and have no idea what they mean by that.
Decline of the Feudal System:
- The Black Death spreads across England killing many people. There is a massive labor shortage as well as discriminatory laws which angers the lower classed citizens. Also heavy taxes. This leads to revolt, which eventually ends the serfdom.
- Work Rights? Civil Rights? What will come of this? Will the lower status people continue to be victorious or is the government going to put their foot down? The literature will hopefully go into some of the detail.
Anglo- Saxon Literature;
- began with spoken verse and incantations at celebrations. Reminds me or the oratory period in America. Everything was passed down by word of mouth.
- Heroic Poetry: recounting the achievement of warriors.
- Elegiac Poetry: lamenting the deaths of loved ones and the loss of the past.
- This relates to when America entered a period of writing in which most of the literature was accounts of death and military experience.
- Beowulf: national epic of England, first written in English, although makes references to Christian ideas and Latin classics, it shows values of the warrior society. Again the time in America where writing was based on military experiences and times of war.
- Anglo-Saxon Prose: monks saw vernacular as "vulgar tongue", Venerable Bede known for his account of England from the Roman Invasion
- Historical journals written in monasteries using Old English.
- Geoffrey Chaucer: romance and love
- Medieval Drama: religious services that retold stories from the Bible or dealt with aspects of the lives of saints. Religious domination? Was religion gaining more momentum?
- Then came the Morality Plays teaching moral lessons.
- An Emerging National Identity: Johann Gutenberg creates first movable-type, then William Caxton creates first movable-type press. No more hand copies. Time of new technology. How does that impact the people?
- Chaucer wrote in Middle English, born into a higher status which allowed him to observe all kinds of people.
- The Canterbury Tales, shows a cross section of medieval society, new theme of romance and realism, just like in America. Now incorporating techniques in the writing: humor and realism.
- Chaucer develops realism through his variety of stories and through the fictional storytellers who describe their tales and react to previous ones.
- Romances, Lyrics, and Ballads: Romances were tales describing the adventures of knights, King Arthur was very popular amongst these romances. Used a blend of fiction and nonfiction (HELLO modern techniques here!!)
- Thomas Malory creates book called "The Death of Arthur" through the romances he collected
- Lyres are commonly used during poetry. Two types of poetry: Secular (love and nature) and religious (hymns and prayers).
- Ballads or folk song that tells a story. (Robin Hood) Like the girl who cried wolf!
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