English LiteraturePart One The Renaissance Period Part Two The Neoclassical Period Part Three The Romantic Period Part Four The Victorian Period Part Five The Modern PeriodOld and Medieval English LiteraturePart oneThe Original Source for the Rise and Growth of English LiteratureEngland was conquered by the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Normans.The latter two conquests much affected England.The Anglo- Saxons brought to England the Germanic language and culture, while the Normans brought a fresh wave of Mediterranean civilization.This civilization includes Greek culture, Roman law, and the Christian religion. The cultural influences of these two conquests provided the source for the rise and growth of English literature.The Period of Old English Literature and the Components of the Old English PoetryThe period of Old English literature is from about 450 to 1066, the year of the Norman conquest of England.The Anglo-Saxons from Northern Europe brought their language, the basis of Modern English, as well as a specific poetic tradition. This kind of poetry is bold and strong, mournful and elegiac in spirit.The Old English poetry can be divided into two groups: the religious group and the secular one. The religious poetry is mainly on biblical themes: Genesis A, Genesis B and Exodus are poems based on the Old Testament; The Dream of the Rood comes from the New Testament. The secular poetry includes the national epic poem, Beowulf, and a number of short lyrical poems which evoke the Anglo-Saxon sense of the harshness of circumstance and the sadness of the human lot. The Wanderer, Deor, The Seafarer, and the Wifes Complaint are among the best of the secular group of poetry of shorter length. Such poems reflected the fatalistic views towards sorrowful life as well as courage and determination.BeowulfBeowulf is a typical example of Old English poetry. However, the hero and the setting of Beowulf have nothing to do with England. In fact the story took place in Scandinavia. The poem was originally in an oral form, sung by the bards at the end of the 6th century. It was not written down until the 10th century.The poem begins and ends with the funeral of a great king, and it is composed against a background of impending disaster.Beowulf is the central Scandinavian hero. He fights against the monster Grendel, his revengeful mother, and a fire- breathing dragon. Beowulf is shown not only as a glorious hero but also as a protector of the people. The poem presents a vivid picture of how the primitive people wage heroic struggles against the hostile forces of the natural world under a wise and mighty leader. The poem mingles nature myths and heroic legends. It reflects a heroic age.The Middle English LiteratureThe period of Middle English literature starts from the Norman Conquest of 1066 and covers about four centuries. Middle English literature deals with a wider range of subjects with more voices and in a greater diversity of styles, tones and genres. Popular folk literature also occupies an important place in this period. Its presentation of life is not only accurate but also lively and colorful though it often lacks originality of thought. Middle English literature strongly reflects the principles of the medieval Christian doctrine, which were primarily concerned with the issue of personal salvation.The RomanceThe romance is a popular literary form in the medieval period. It uses verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds. It follows the motifs of the quest, the test, the meeting with the evil giant and the encounter with the beautiful beloved. The hero is usually the knight, who sets out on a journey to accomplish some omissions. The romance uses mysteries and fantasies, romantic love, and standardized characterization. Its structure is loose and episodic, and its language is simple and straightforward. The importance of the romance can be seen as a means of showing medieval aristocratic men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world. The romance reflects a chivalric age The Great Middle English Poets(2)William Langland(1)The author of Sir Gawain andthe Green Knights(3) Geoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer affirmed mans right to pursue earthly happiness and opposed asceticism; he praised mans energy, intellect, quick wit and love of life; he exposed and satirized the social vices. He bore the marks of humanism and anticipated a new era to come. Chaucer developed his characterization to a higher artistic level by presenting characters with both typical qualities and individual dispositions. In addition, he introduced many forms of rhymed stanzas such as the octosyllabic couplet and the heroic couplet. He is considered as the father of English poetry.Sonnet Sonnet is a kind of lyric, consisting of 14 lines,usually in iambic pentameters with considerab