Middle English
Middle English
LITERATURE
● Geoffrey Chaucer
● Margery Kempe
● Autor anónimo que escribió Sir Gawain y el caballero verde
● .El relato del Rey Arturo
ENGLISH VERSION
Most of the surviving literature we have from both the Middle English and
Old English period is either administrative or religious. Hymns, sermons,
laws and documents are the most readily available texts for scholars who
want to learn more about life in the Middle Ages.
For hundreds of years after the Norman invasion, most literature was
written in either Latin or French. Aside from some exceptions dated to the
thirteenth century, like Layamon's Brut, English only made a complete
resurgence within written work during the fourteenth century.
There are many surviving examples of Middle English fiction from the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries that tell us a lot about language use, the
way writers constructed texts, and the themes that medieval authors were
concerned with. Let's look at three essential works created during this
period.
Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales
The most important text to come from Middle English is Chaucer's The
Canterbury Tales (1387-1400), which contains twenty-four unique tales told
from the perspective of travelling pilgrims who are trying to win a
story-telling contest. The work is largely written in poetry, but some
passages are written in prose.
Margery couldn't read or write, so she recited her stories to a scribe who
wrote the book for her. The narrative tells us a lot about the beliefs held in
England at the time. For example, when Margery's businesses collapsed,
she saw it as punishment for her sins and so devoted herself entirely to
religion. The autobiography also reveals a lot about common attitudes to
women; she describes being accused of heresy, repeatedly arrested, and
being told she would be burnt alive in the street.
Published anonymously sometime around the year 1400, Sir Gawain and
the Green Knight tells the story of a knight at King Arthur's court, Camelot.
The knight, named Sir Gawain, accepts a challenge from a Green Knight
who arrives at court, after which Sir Gawain is put through a series of
challenges that test both his loyalty and honour.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tells us a lot about the medieval concern
for honour and chivalry, which was a common theme in Middle English
literature. The poem is also helpful for scholars studying the dialects of the
period.
Although the poet is anonymous, we know that he was from the North West
Midlands, as the entire manuscript is written in this dialect.
Depictions of chivalry
Religion
Anonymous authors
Middle English - Key takeaways