medieval literature overview
TRANSCRIPT
8/6/2019 Medieval Literature Overview
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A Study of The Canterbury Tales and
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
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Table of ContentsThe Journey Begins . . .
England in the Middle Ages
Focus question
Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales
Travelers to Canterbury
Chaucer¶s Middle Ages Population
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The Green KnightSir Gawain
Works Cited
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The Journey Begins . . .
In October 1066,
a daylong battle
near Hastings, England,
changed the course of history.
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William the Conqueror wins the Battle of
Hastings.
The FRENCH arrive! (in England)(and they win)
(and now they rule)
(and everyone, they must speak theFrench)
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England in the Middle AgesLower, middle, and upper-middle
classes developed in the cities.
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England in the Middle AgesThe Crusades extended from 1095-
1270.
They brought contact with Easternmathematics, astronomy, architecture, and
crafts.
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England in the Middle AgesThe Magna-Carta made an inroad into
unrestrained royal power. Some say it
forms the basis for constitutionalgovernment.
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England in the Middle AgesThe Hundred Years¶ War (1337-1453)
was the first national war waged by
England.
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England in the Middle AgesThe Black Death (1348-1349) brought
the end of the Middle Ages.
Fleas on ratscarried the
bubonic plaguewhich killed
thousands ofpeople. in Europe.
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England in the Middle AgesFeudalism replaced the Nordic social
system.
Most men are serfs.Men above the serf class serve in the
military²Knighthood.
Women had no political rights.
Chivalry and courtly love served as the
system of social codes
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How do the writings of the
Middle Ages represent thelives, loves, loyalties, and
humor of humanity?
Discover the answer by reading
The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
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Geoffrey Chaucer
c. 1343-1400Considered the father of English poetry
Wrote in the vernacular
Served as a soldier, government servant, and
member of ParliamentIntroduced iambic pentameter
First writer buried in Westminster Abbey
Learn more about Chaucer. Go to. . .
http://www.unc.edu/depts/chaucer/index.html
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The Canterbury Tales:
Snapshot of an AgeIt frames a story of characters on a religiouspilgrimage to Canterbury.
The characters are a concise portrait of anentire nation.
The pilgrimage is a quest narrative thatmoves from images of spring and awakeningto penance, death, and eternal life.
The characters tell stories that reflect³everyman´ in the universal pilgrimage of life.
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Chaucer¶s Snapshot of the
Middle Ages Population
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Characters from The
Canterbury Tales
Knight
Squire
Ruling Class
Monk Friar
Prioress Parson
Summer Pardoner
Clergy Class
Middle
Class
Merchant Reeve
Franklin Doctor
Oxford Student Wife of Bath
Sergeant-at-Law
Guildsmen
Cook Manciple
Peasant
Class
TradeClass
Miller Plowman
Skipper Yeoman
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unprovoked and violent fighting
mystical place and time (theDark Ages)
supernatural elements, andmagical powers from the paganworld
hero who is on a nobleadventure or quest
loose, episodic structureelements of courtly love
ideals of chivalry
time frame of a year and a day
Conventions of Medieval Romance
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The Green KnightHe challenges KingArthur¶s knights to aNew Year¶s game.
The Green Knightwants to exchange³one blow for another.´
The stranger will
stand for the first blowif the other knight willagree to have his turnin a year and a day.
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Sir GawainSir Gawain accepts the GreenKnight¶s challenge.
He honors his word and searchesfor the knight¶s Green Chapel.
Gawain finds a lord and his ladyon his quest who offer himshelter on Christmas day.
The lord has the lady temptSir Gawain three times on the rulesof courtly love.
Gawain resists--all but oneadvance.
The Green Knight reveals himself to be the lord and spares Gawainfor his honesty.
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Chivalric Code and Introduction
to Courtly Love Chivalry is from the French word, c hevalier , meaninghorseman, or knight.
The chivalric code influenced the formation of religious military orders during the period of theCrusades. The now famous Knights Templar areamong the noted knights. There were many others.
During the later middle ages, chivalry had become
largely as system of etiquette and the knights asource of entertainment during tournaments ± whichthemselves gradually became less threatening to theparticipants.
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Chivalric Code and Introduction
to Courtly Love The chivalric code
combined Christian virtues
with military virtues:Temperance, Fortitude,Prudence and Justice
Faith, Hope, Charity
Valor and strength in battle
Loyalty to God and King
Courtesy towards enemiesGenerosity towards the sick,women, widows and theoppressed
Courtly Love*
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What happened to Chivalry?
Finally, knighthood became simply an honor,
and those eligible for it today can skip the
military bit.
Today, knights can be just regular people
who have done something special. The
honor is used for notable artists and other
doers of good deeds.Knighted folks include: Paul McCartney,
Laurence Olivier, and former New York
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Have the rules of love changed?The Art of Courtly Love ( twelfth century
document) listed several rules of love:
No one can be bound by double love.The easy attainment of love makes it of
little value. Difficulty of attainment makes it
prized
A new love puts flight to an old one.
If love diminishes, it quickly fails and rarely
revives
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April
Très Riches Heures
Courtly
Love
C.S. Lewis:
³Humility,
Courtesy,
Adultery
and the
Religion of Love´
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The "rules" for this game are roughly:
worship of thechosen lady
declaration of
passionate devotion
virtuous rejectionby the lady
renewed wooing
with oaths of eternal fealty
moans of approachingdeath from unsatisfieddesire
heroic deeds of valorwhich win the lady'sheart
consummation of thesecret love
endless adventuresand subterfuges
tragic end
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T heater Mystery Plays andMiracle Plays: Biblestories and lives of the
SaintsMorality Plays:Didactic allegories,such as E veryman
Passion Plays:Depicting the eventsrelating to the trial,crucifixion, andresurrection of JesusChrist.
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narrative poem
(i.e., tells a story)
intended to be
sung
no known author
passed along
orally
four-line stanzas
repeated key
phrases OR
regularly repeated
section
dialogue
Folk Ballads
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³B
arbara Allen´There are HUNDREDS of versions of the folk
ballad Barbara Allen that dates from
Medieval England.Most versions can be summarized thus:
a young man is dying of unrequited love for
Barbara Allen;she is called to his deathbed but all she cansay is, 'Young man, I think you're dying.'When he dies, she is stricken with grief anddi s s n aft r. ft n a riar r ws fr m
FOLK BALLADS ´Barbara Allenµ
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³B
arbara Allen´When he dies, she is stricken with grief and
dies soon after. Often, a briar grows from
her grave and a rose from his, until theygrow together.
The famous refrain:
Young man, I think youre dyingAdieu, adieu, my dear friends all,
And be kind to Barbara Allanhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRgH_0zxqQE&feature=related
Johnny Cash version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD8N-SzrXjQ
FOLK BALLADS ´Barbara Allenµ -- continued
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Current ConnectionsThe English fiction
writer Dorothy L.
Sayers used a
phrase from some
variants for the title
Strong Poison, a
murder mystery
about a man
apparently
murdered by his
lover.
In the early 1960s
Bob Dylan
borrowed the lyricstructure of ³Lord
Randall´ for his
song " A Hard
Rain's A-Gonna
Fall".http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=gKmxEJLcsIQ
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DI ALECT dialect = the
specific form of a
language used bya speech
community
Scottish dialectBORDER R AIDS
³Twa Corbies´http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
QSL0QO54JpM
Sung
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=w-
7I8RlrnTE&feature=relate
d
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narrative poem
(i.e., tells a story)
intended to be
sung
no known author
passed along
orally
four-line stanzas
repeated key
phrases OR
regularly repeated
section
dialogue
Folk Ballads
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Ballad of the Green Berets
F ighting soldiers from the sky
F earless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret
Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America's best
One hundred men we'll test today
But only three win the Green Beret http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLcoA8El3mI
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Trained to live, off nature's land Trained in combat, hand to hand
Men who fight by night and day
Courage deep, from the Green Beret
Silver wings upon their chest These are men, America's best One hundred men we'll test today
But only three win the Green Beret
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Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed Leaving her this last request
Put silver wings on my son's chest
Make him one of America's best
He'll be a man they'll test one day
Have him win the Green Beret
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In the middle of the earth in the land of the Shirelives a brave little hobbit whom we all admire. With his long wooden pipe,fuzzy, woolly toes,he lives in a hobbit-hole and everybody knows him
Bilbo! Bilbo! Bilbo BagginsHe's only three feet tallBilbo! Bilbo! Bilbo BagginsThe bravest little hobbit of them all
Now hobbits are a peace-lovin' folks you knowThey don't like to hurry and they t ake things slow
They don't like to travel away from homeThey just want to eat and be left aloneBut one day Bilbo was asked to goon a big adventure to the caves below,to help some dwarves get back their goldthat was stolen by a dragon in the days of old.
Bilbo! Bilbo! Bilbo BagginsHe's only three feet tallBilbo! Bilbo! Bilbo BagginsThe bravest little hobbit of them all
Well he fought with the goblins!He battled a troll!!He riddled with Gollum!!!A magic ring he stole!!!!He was chased by wolves!!!!!Lost in the forest!!!!!!Escaped in a barr el from the elf-king's halls!!!!!!!
Bilbo! Bilbo! Bilbo BagginsThe bravest little hobbit of them all
Now he's back in his hole in the land of the Shire,that brave little hobbit whom we all admire, just a-sittin' on a treasu re of silver and golda-puffin' on his pipe in his hobbit-hole.
Bilbo! Bilbo! Bilbo BagginsHe's only three feet tallBilbo! Bilbo! Bilbo BagginsThe bravest little hobbit of them all
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³Barbara Allen´
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