This document provides an overview of English literature from Old English to Middle English periods. It discusses some of the major works and authors of each period. [1] Old English literature dates from 500-1000 AD and was initially oral before being written down. Major works included epic poem Beowulf and prose Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. [2] Middle English literature emerged from 1100-1485 AD after the Norman conquest of 1066. Popular genres included romances about knights and courtly love poetry. Major authors included Geoffrey Chaucer, whose unfinished work The Canterbury Tales provides tales from a range of characters.

1. Literature of
OE and ME
periods.
Turaeva Madina TING-2001

2. Restoration Literature
(1660-1700)
The Stuarts and
Puritans(1603-1660)
Middle English(1100-1485)
Old English(500-1000)
English literature periodization:
01
02
04
The Age of Johnson(1750-
1784)
05 The 1900s
The Augustan Age(1700-
1750)
Victorian literature(1832-
1901)
03 The Romantic
Literature(1784-1832)
The beginning of Modern
English literature
(1485-1603)

3. Historical Background of Old English era:
● Celts or Britons came to what is now Great Britain circa 600BC
● The Roman Conquest (Julius Caesar 1 BC)
● The English Conquest( Anglo-Saxon-tribes from Germany, Jutes)
450AD
● Romans leave around 4 AD
● Anglo-Saxon language became
Old English
● Saxons brought paganism

4. Old English literature
As in many other cultures,
literature of early OE period
was presented only in oral
form.
Later on, the first written
forms appeared. It was
mostly works of monks .

5. “Ecclesiastical history of
the English people” 731
AD, Bede
OE literature is represented by:
The first prose Anglo-
Saxon chronicle.(Alfred
The Great)
Epic, poem
“Beowulf”
“The Consolation of
philosophy” by
Boethius
Bards

6. • Primary (oral or primitive) uses stock epithet (Homeric)
and kenning
• Secondary-literary, written down
Epic-long narrative poem:

7. Beowulf(epic or heroic)
• Existed in oral form around 6th
century
• Was first written down in 7-8th
century
• 3182 lines
• The poem is set in Scandinavia
• Mix of paganism and Christian
elements
• Poetic elements: Alliteration,
assonance, kenning

8. Characters:
• Hrothgar, King of Danes
• Grendel, sea monster
• Beowulf, knight, nephew
of Hygelac, the King of
Jutes
• Water-witch, Grendel’s
mother
• Wiglaf, warrior, heir to the
kingdom after Beowulf

9. Literature of 7-11th centuries
Early poets of this period
1. Caedmon(7th century)
He composed in the
Northumbrian dialect of Anglo-Saxon
hymns and a poem “Paraphrase”
2. Cynewulf (end of 8th
century)
Poems “Elene”, and “Juliana”,
songs

10. 3. The Venerable Bede( 673-735)
Father of English history
He wrote 40 books: commentaries on
the Bible, lives of abbots, martyrs and
saints; books on philosophy and poetry.
“The Ecclesiastical History of the
English race”
4. Alfred The Great(849-901)
He built the first navy.
Translated the Church history by
Bede from Latin to Anglo-Saxon.
Created the first prose in English
“Anglo-Saxon Chronicle”

11. Middle English Literature(1100-1485)
The Literature of Norman Period (12-13th century)
• 11th century weakened Anglo-Saxons due to feudal
feuds
• In 1066 William Duke of Normandy defeated the
English troops at Hastings
• In 5 years William the Conqueror rules whole England
• Usage of 3 languages(Latin, Norman-French, English)
• Formation of Oxford and Cambridge universities
around 13th century
Historical background:

12. During that period in literature were popular:
The Medieval romance-
long narrative in verse or
prose. Themes:
Ballads about knights and
bravery called romances, at
first written in Norman-
French
• In the 15th century Sir Thomas
Malory collected romances
about King Arthur.
• In 1485 the first book printed
by Caxton- ‘Morte
d’Arthur’(epic in 21 books) by
Sir Thomas Malory
1.Courtly love -Earl of Surrey
•-Sir Thomas Wyatt
•-Sir Walter Raleigh
2.Ideal
love
-Edmun Spenser
-Sir Philip Sidney

13. Besides abovementioned
genres were also popular:
• Fable- Short story with deep
moral always represented
through animals.
• Fabliaux- short stories about
unfaithful wives etc, coarse
and cynical
Medieval French poets were
called ‘trouvers’(finders) and
later ministrels.

14. Pre-Renaissance
Historical background:
• In 14th century London is the
busiest city
• Life in the country became
miserable, because of the
Hundred Years’ War(King
Edward against France)
• Catholic bishops became
wealthy due to corruption

15. William Langland
(1332-1400)
He was a poor priest.
He wrote an allegorical poem ‘Visions of
William Concerning Piers the Plowman’
It is a poem in 7000 lines, written in
alliterative verse

16. Geoffrey Chauser
(1340-1400)
• One of the greatest poets in
English literature
• Worked as a page in the
house of Edward Third’s
Son
• In 1368 he started his work
in King’s administrative
department
• Moved to France, then to
Italy as a diplomat

17. Periods of Chauser’s art:
1.The French period
He translated from
French poem “The
romance of the
Rose”
3. The English Period
“ The Cantenbury
Tales”, unfinished
(1387-1400)
2.The Italian Period
• Didactic poem “ The house of the Fame”
• “The Parliament of Fowls” allegorical poem
• “Troilus and Criseyda”
• The Legend oof Good Women”

18. ‘The Cantenbury Tales’
● Consists of 24 stories. However, it
was planned to be 120 stories
from all of 30 piligrims.
● ‘Tales’ is often called a mirror of
its times.
● Diversity of characters, social
levels, attitudes and ways of life is
talked about in the novel.

19. Thank you for
attention!