Middle English period or Anglo-Norman period was especially featured as the romances of English literature, miracle and morality play and most important for Chaucer's excellent contribution to this period. Literally, the Normans were residing of the France , defeated Anglo-saxon King at the battle of Hastings (1066) ,and conquerd England. The Norman conquest started a new approach to to the historical and philosophical world of English literature. The taste and style of English literature was completely transformed after Norman conquest. The impact of style and sentiment of Norman ruler was supreme. The native sentiment was ignored and suppressed . No effective protest was possible from Anglo-saxon side. Gradually, the native English was transformed with the French dominance. It is fact that Anglo-saxon native literature was more enriched and vernacular literature than any other European literature.
FEATURES OF MIDDLE PERIOD::
The main difference of two periods was the disappearance of the old poetry. Beowlf , one the ancient and successful poetry was totally ignoed and vanished by Normans.There is nothing during the Anglo-Norman period likeBeowulf or Fall of the Angels. The later religious poetry has little in it to recall the finished art of Cynewulf. Anglo-Saxon poetry, whether derived from heathendom or from the Church, has ideas and manners of its own; it comes to perfection, and then it dies away. It seems that Anglo-Saxon poetry grows to rich maturity, and then disappears, as with the new forms of language and under new influences, the poetical education started again, and so the poetry of the Anglo-Norman period has nothing in common the Anglo-Saxon poetry.The most obvious change in literary expression appears in the vehicle employed. For centuries Latin had been more or less spoken or written by the clergy in England. The Norman conquest has ignited the impact of Rome in the Anglo-saxon based language and society. Vernacular English language was ignored and their sentiment was suppressed by the French language. Number of French writer dramatically increased in this period.In spite of the English language having been thrown into the background, some works were composed in it, though they echoed in the main the sentiments and tastes of the French writers, as French then was the supreme arbiter of European literary style.
Another prominent faetures of the medival periods was general anonymity. Few remarkable works were published in the vernacular English.
(a.) The romances;;
The most popular form of medival literature and Norman Literature was the prose form. Romances were most common source of literature in this period. Romances of hero and heroine were explored in form of work. These romances were most common and popular than poetry of that age.These romances were mostly borrowed from Latin and French sources. They deal with the stories of King Arthur, The War of Troy, the mythical doings of Charlemagne and ofAlexander the Great.
(b.) The miracle and the morality plays::
In the middle English period the miracle plays were introduced. The holy Bible part was crafted as miracle plays. From the growth and development of the Bible story, scene by scene, carried to its logical conclusion, this drama—developed to an enormous cycle of sacred history, beginning with the creation of man, his fall and banishment from the Garden of Eden and extending through the more important matters of the Old Testament and life of Christ in the New to the summoning of the quick and the dead on the day of final judgment. This kind of drama is called the miracle play—sometimes less correctly the mystery play—and it flourished throughout England from the reign of Henry II to that of Elizabeth (1154-1603).
Another form of drama which was come in existence was the morality plays. It was become popular with miracle play during middle English period.. In these plays the uniform theme is the struggle between the powers of good and evil for the mastery of the soul of man.In a word, allegory is the distinguishing mark of the moral plays. In these moral plays the protagonist is always anabstraction; he is Mankind, the Human Race, the Pride of Life, and there is an attempt to compass the whole scope of man’s experience and temptations in life, as there had been a corresponding effort in the Miracle plays to embrace the complete range of sacred history, the life of Christ, and the redemption of the world.
Age of Chaucer's...in next post....to be continued...
FEATURES OF MIDDLE PERIOD::
The main difference of two periods was the disappearance of the old poetry. Beowlf , one the ancient and successful poetry was totally ignoed and vanished by Normans.There is nothing during the Anglo-Norman period likeBeowulf or Fall of the Angels. The later religious poetry has little in it to recall the finished art of Cynewulf. Anglo-Saxon poetry, whether derived from heathendom or from the Church, has ideas and manners of its own; it comes to perfection, and then it dies away. It seems that Anglo-Saxon poetry grows to rich maturity, and then disappears, as with the new forms of language and under new influences, the poetical education started again, and so the poetry of the Anglo-Norman period has nothing in common the Anglo-Saxon poetry.The most obvious change in literary expression appears in the vehicle employed. For centuries Latin had been more or less spoken or written by the clergy in England. The Norman conquest has ignited the impact of Rome in the Anglo-saxon based language and society. Vernacular English language was ignored and their sentiment was suppressed by the French language. Number of French writer dramatically increased in this period.In spite of the English language having been thrown into the background, some works were composed in it, though they echoed in the main the sentiments and tastes of the French writers, as French then was the supreme arbiter of European literary style.
Another prominent faetures of the medival periods was general anonymity. Few remarkable works were published in the vernacular English.
(a.) The romances;;
The most popular form of medival literature and Norman Literature was the prose form. Romances were most common source of literature in this period. Romances of hero and heroine were explored in form of work. These romances were most common and popular than poetry of that age.These romances were mostly borrowed from Latin and French sources. They deal with the stories of King Arthur, The War of Troy, the mythical doings of Charlemagne and ofAlexander the Great.
(b.) The miracle and the morality plays::
In the middle English period the miracle plays were introduced. The holy Bible part was crafted as miracle plays. From the growth and development of the Bible story, scene by scene, carried to its logical conclusion, this drama—developed to an enormous cycle of sacred history, beginning with the creation of man, his fall and banishment from the Garden of Eden and extending through the more important matters of the Old Testament and life of Christ in the New to the summoning of the quick and the dead on the day of final judgment. This kind of drama is called the miracle play—sometimes less correctly the mystery play—and it flourished throughout England from the reign of Henry II to that of Elizabeth (1154-1603).
Another form of drama which was come in existence was the morality plays. It was become popular with miracle play during middle English period.. In these plays the uniform theme is the struggle between the powers of good and evil for the mastery of the soul of man.In a word, allegory is the distinguishing mark of the moral plays. In these moral plays the protagonist is always anabstraction; he is Mankind, the Human Race, the Pride of Life, and there is an attempt to compass the whole scope of man’s experience and temptations in life, as there had been a corresponding effort in the Miracle plays to embrace the complete range of sacred history, the life of Christ, and the redemption of the world.
Age of Chaucer's...in next post....to be continued...
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