Literature of the Middle Ages

The enormous period of time from the fall of the Rome Empire (V century AD) till the beginning of the bourgeois revolution of the XVIII century is called the Middle Ages.

In the history of literature and art of West Europe they distinguish actually Middle Ages period (V-XV centuries) - the beginning, the development and the blossoming forth of feudalism and its culture and the Age of the Renaissance connected with forming of bourgeois relations, development of towns and cities and creation of new culture.

The Ninth Century with its break-up of tribal structure and an advance to feudalism, in all its course was the century of Alfred the Great. He made great military achievements, he built a fleet of ships which were longer, higher, steadier and faster than Danish ships. He made a lot in the field of education. It was his ambition that all the freeborn youth of England be set to learning until they can well read English writing. At the age of 40 he learned to read Latin in order to translate into his own tongue "some books, which are most needful for all men to know ". Alfred also inspired the collecting and systematic arrangement of the earlier annals and traditions of the English race now known as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Mistakes and mistranslation were inevitable but Alfred's literature labours made available to English readers a library on standard works on religion, English history, geography and philosophy.

In 1066 England was conquered by the Normans. All land was now held in feudal service; the services and duties became more regular and definite. For 2 centuries after the Norman conquest, England was ruled by foreign kings. Under their government the Anglo-Saxon and Norman elements gradually welded together.

After the conquest of Normans French became the language of the upper classes and of the government. French was used in Parliament, in [9] law-courts, in all official writings. English was locked down upon as a rude and barbarous tongue and was only heard on the lips of serfs and yeomen or on those who were still proud of the fact that they were native born.

In the XIV century English came into its own again. In 1362 it was ordained that all pleadings in law-courts should be in English, and Parliament was first opened with an English speech. By the end of the century Chaucer had fixed English as the literary language of the country by writing his “Canterbury Tales” in his own tongue.

“The Song of Beowulf” is the only famous example of Anglo-Saxon heroic epos. The Song is based on ancient German legends arisen probably in the Pagan times. The “Song of Beowulf” came down to us in manuscripts in the beginning of the X century.

Beowulf is the main hero of the song, brave, big-hearted, always ready to help people. He fights against the monster, ruled the tribe for 50 years and at last killed the dragon. But the dragon managed to bite him and Beowulf died ordering to divide all treasures extracted from the dragon's cave between the people of the tribe.

The characteristic feature of the song is the topic of treasures and money followed by unhappiness and enmity. The song is full of metaphors, alliterations, allegories, but there is no rhyme.