Medieval english written records

Generally speaking, this literature is of two sorts. Some of it was undoubtedly brought to England by the Germanic and Norman conquerors from their continental homes and preserved for a time in oral tradition. The prevalent ethno-cultural dominants of this epoch considerably influenced upon the whole English literature. In this work we can trace their gradual formation from the early times of the development of the old Germanic writing system. In the course of time three streams mingle in Middle English epoch: the religious, chivalrous and courtly literature forming a unique mixture and a tangle of genres characteristic of medieval writing.

INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...3

PART 1. ANTOLOGY OF OLD AND MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE…………………………………………………………………….5

Old English literature in the period of Anglo-Saxon ethnic extension……………………………………………………………..5

The Middle English corpus………………………………..................9

1.2.1. Jeffrey Chaucer..........................................................................11

Principal Middle English written records…………..................13

PART 2. CONCEPTUAL REPRESENTATION OF THE MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE ………...........................................................................................16

2.1. Knighthood and Chivalry as a cultural dominant in the Middle English literature…………………………………………………………………………..16

2.2. The ideal of chivalry in “Sir Gawain and Green Knight”……………..17

2.3. The concept of Courtly love in the English Medieval epoch………….20

2.4. Christian religious dominant…………………………………………..21

CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………...24

BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………..26