English II Pre-AP

Old English

Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum;

Si þin nama gehalgod

to becume þin rice

gewurþe ðin willa

on eorðan swa swa on heofonum.

urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg

and forgyf us ure gyltas

swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum

and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge

ac alys us of yfele soþlice

Middle English

Oure fadir that art in heuenes,

halewid be thi name;

thi kyndoom come to;

be thi wille don

in erthe as in heuene:

gyue to us this dai oure breed

ouer othir substaunce;

and forgyue to us oure dettis,

as we forgyuen to oure gettouris;

and lede us not in to temptacioun,

but delyuere us fro yuel.

Timeline

1066—William the Norman

invades and conquers

England

Bayeux Tapestry 1077

410—Romans

retreat from

England

991—Battle of

Maldon

Viking/Anglo-Saxon Rule 410-1066

Norman Rule 1066-1154

Medieval Period 1154-1485

1347—Black

Death kills 50%

of the

population

1154—An

English King

(Henry II) back

on the throne

a little context

• Alliterative Revival

• Bob-and-Wheel: a two- or three-syllable

“bob” followed by a quatrain (the

“wheel”)

• Bob: bridge between long series of

alliterative lines and the wheel; stress is

on the last syllable

• Wheel: usually contains three stressed

syllables per line

• Rhyme scheme (beginning with bob) is

ABABA

• Exists only in one 14th-

century manuscript = Cotton

Nero A.x. (Hmmm… sound

familiar?)

• Manuscript containing

Gawain also contains three

other poems, including Pearl

• Author = the “Pearl Poet;”

clearly familiar with life of

the nobiility

• Romance: An adventure tale that recounts

the heroic deeds of knights and celebrates

their chivalric way of life; conveys medieval

values of loyalty and Christian faith

• Common Characteristics:

• Tells adventures of a young, nearly perfect hero

• Opens with a feast

• Involves a challenge

• Involves supernatural elements

• Teaches the hero a moral lesson

• Includes women as temptation

• Shows cyclical qualities of nature

The Known

The Unknown or Shadow Realm

STAGE ONE:

SEPARATION

STAGE TWO: INITIATION

STAGE THREE: RETURN

Call to Adventure

Threshold

Guardians

Crossing the Threshold

Supernatural

Aid

Atonement

with the Father

Transformation/

Revelation

Ultimate Boon

The Return

Reward

(Freedom to Live)

Long narrativeLong narrativeLong narrativeLong narrative poempoempoempoem Long narrativeLong narrativeLong narrativeLong narrative poempoempoempoem

About the exploits of a single hero

who is usually the savior/protector of

his people

The hero fights for an ideal, not to

save his tribe. Usually goes on a

quest.

Exists in a warrior/shame culture

(don’t shame your family name!)

Exists in a courtly culture, where

courtesy and reverence for women is

as important as fighting skill

Realistic setting (even if fantastic

elements exist, such as dragons).

The places, people, and economic

conditions are often real.

Idealization of places and people.

Not meant to be realistic.

Ends in death of the hero (Glorious

and Honorable!)

Happy ending! (almost always)

• Chivalry: the code that guides

the behavior of knights in

romance literature. It requires a

knight to…

• Swear allegiance to his lord

• Fight to uphold Christianity

• Seek to redress all wrongs

• Honor truth by word and deed

• Be faithful to one lady

• Act with bravery, courtesy, and

modesty

• Courtly love: comes from “rules” the were developed to regulate the behavior of lovers• Love songs and poems tell of a man’s unrequited love for a woman

• Lovelorn hero feels inferior to the woman and flatters her in song and verse

• Man does everything he can to refine himself to become worthy of her love

• Man desires to serve the woman and be rewarded with love

• To love her is exquisite pain, yet it gives him great joy (a paradox!)

• The woman can A) advance the affair and reward him, OR B) reject and spurn him.

• Interweaving narratives• Beheading game

• Quest

• Seduction tale

• Beheading Game – common in oral poetry1. Outsider comes to court and challenges.

2. Hero accepts challenge.

3. Hero gives outsider a blow, cutting off his head.

4. Hero journeys to the court of the outsider.

5. Outsider tests the hero .

6. Hero accepts the return blow and returns to court.

• Archetypes

• Use of the bob-and-wheel

• Traits of Romances (and contrasts

to what might happen in an epic)

• Structure – great deal of

structural unity

• Use of parallels and balance

• Use of contrast and antithesis