5H Lit - The Middle Ages

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

5H Literature

The Middle Ages - from 1066 to 1500

The times of Geoffrey Chaucer

The Norman Conquest

• 1066: the Battle of Hastings
• The Anglo-Saxons (King Harold) vs. the Normans (Duke William of Normandy)
• The Bayeux Tapestry
• England becomes a feudal state
• land - church - town
• nobles and serfs - clergymen - craftsmen and tradesmen

The Bayeux Tapestry

The Middle English Period

• 1066-1485: (later) Medieval England
• The Norman Conquest
• Social change: the feudal system
• Linguistic change: a new language

Middle English (1) - History

• 1066 - c. 1300: two languages side by side
• Norman French: language of court, government, the law and trade
• Old English: language of the common people (peasants, townspeople)
• the two slowly merge into one language
• c. 1300: Middle English
• c. 1480: towards (Early) Modern English

Middle English Literature

Most works of literature are anonymous

One name stands out: Geoffrey Chaucer

• c. 1340 - 1400
• the father of English literature / the father of the English language
• A courtier and a diplomat (foreign travels)
• main work: The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales

• Frame-story
• Group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury > the shrine of the martyr St. Thomas Becket
• Story-telling contest
• A cross-section of medieval English society (nobility, clergy and commoners)
• A panorama of medieval life
• Examples of many medieval literary genres

Assignment

• Read along with the text on p. 8 of the survey
• Do exercise 3 (workbook p. 2) together with a classmate

What time of year is it?
Which clues have you found?

Why is this the best time of year to go on pilgrimage?

Upload a picture of one of the mentioned professions

What is the time span of the Middle English period?

1. 1066 - 1340
2. 1066 - 1485
3. 800 - 1066
4. 1340 - 1400

Which language was spoken at court?

1. French
2. English
3. Latin

Geoffrey Chaucer also goes by other names - which?