This quest contains all the information you need for studying the medieval period of English literary history. It is a compulsory part of your 4V Language Portfolio. It will also return in your Literary History SE which you will sit in 6V.
2. Literary History SE
Overview
In the Literary History SE, you will be tested on your knowledge of the main events and works of English literary history, starting with the Middle Ages and up to the modern day. You will study the following eras and disciplines:
Literary eras
Middle Ages (4V)
Renaissance (5V)
Romantic Poetry (5V)
Victorian Age (5V)
Early 20th Century (6V)
Disciplines
poetry
theatre
novels
Organisation & SE
Organisation
We will study literary history at various points in your school career, so it is important that you organise your materials properly. I urge you to start a Literary History File, either in paper in a new notebook or digitally in a Pages document. I also advise you to create a separate Literary History File tile in Egodact where you can keep track of what you are doing over the years.
SE
In 6-vwo, you will sit an SE on Literary History. In it, you will answer questions about literary terms and eras, and you will analyse fragments of literature using the knowledge you have gained over the years.
This SE is a written test lasting 100 minutes and counts for 10% towards your final PTA mark.
3. Historical background
➜ Start this part of your Literary History File with a title page: Middle Ages. Find an appropriate illustration here.
➜ Study the links and videos below to get an idea of the historical background of the Middle Ages in England.
➜ Write a summary in your Literary History File of what you've learned. Be sure to include the following key words in your summary: key words: Anglo-Saxon, Conversion to Christianity, Danelaw, Lindisfarne, Norman Conquest, Battle of Hastings, Magna Carta, feudalism, Black Death, The Wars of the Roses.
➜ Upload your summary to Seesaw/Egodact.
1. How was England formed? About the rise of the kingdom of England in the 2nd half of the 1st millennium.
2. How the Normans changed the history of Europe. Starting with the Norman Conquest of 1066 and describing what other things they accomplished in England and Europe.
3. Where did English come from? The origins of the English Language
4. Medieval Literature
There are three medieval English literary works you can study here. All three of these may feature in your Literary History SE.
Each work is presented as follows:
Introduction: a basic introduction to the work and why it is relevant to our studies. You will find key terms and phrases to remember in bold italics. These terms and phrases should find their way into your Literary History File.
Literary fragment(s): one or more fragments from the literary work, translated to a more modern English to make it easier to understand. Often paired with comprehension questions.
Study questions: one or more questions that analyse the work on a deeper level. The answers to these should be included in your Literary History File.
4a. Beowulf
4a. Introduction
Beowulf is the oldest surviving piece of English literature from the Middle Ages. The only surviving manuscript, which you can see above, is housed in the British Library in London. This manuscript was produced somewhere between 975 and 1025 AD, but the story itself is much older, probably dating back to the 6th or 7th century AD.
It is an epic poem with lots of violence, mythical monsters, impressive heroes, swanky weapons and bloody revenge. It tells the life story of Beowulf, a heroic warrior.
When the poem was written down, it was already an old story. It had probably been told around campfires or in the halls of kings and noblemen for centuries. Mostly these were told by professional storytellers, scops, who memorised the stories and told (or rather, performed) them. They would pass on their stories from one generations of scops to the next: this is called the oral tradition. An important literary technique used to help scops memorise the poems, which we also see in Beowulf, is alliteration. This is when many words within a line start with the same sound.
Beowulf is written in English, but hardly recognisable as such. We call this variety of the language Old English or Anglo-Saxon and it is derived from the Germanic languages. After the fall of the Roman Empire, there was unrest in western Europe and some tribes started moving or expanding their territories during what is known as the Migration Period. The Germanic tribes of the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians moved from their original home countries in the Low Countries, Germany and Denmark, to the British islands, driving back the Roman Britons and the Celts who were living there.
Old English is so old that it sounds like a completely different language. Watch the video below for a sample of the opening lines, read out in Old English.
4a. Literary Fragment(s)
Introduction
The epic poem Beowulf tells the life story of the Geatish (=a Scandinavian tribe) warrior Beowulf and many of his heroic deeds.
It takes place in Denmark, where the famous king Hrothgar had built a grand hall made of gold. The hall was named Heorot and there king Hrothgar held many feasts and invited all his noblemen and warriors. However, closeby a monster called Grendel lived in the swamps, and he was jealous of Hrothgar and his merry feasts and set out to destroy Hrothgar's happiness. At night, Grendel would invade the hall and kill many men, until nobody dared come to Hrothgar's hall anymore.
Hrothgar asked many warriors to rid him of the monster Grendel, but none succeeded and so Heorot was haunted for years by Grendel.
One day, the young hero Beowulf arrives, and pledges to get rid of Grendel. He and his warriors are received gladly and a great feast ensues. They go to sleep in Heorot that night, but Beowulf keeps guard and waits for Grendel to arrive...
➜ Read the fragments from Beowulf below.
➜ Want an authentic experience? Then watch the video below the text to watch and listen to a modern-day scop (=storyteller) perform Beowulf as it might have been performed 1500 years ago.
➜ Answer the comprehension questions you will find below the text.
➜ Upload a screenshot of your results to Seesaw/Egodact.
Literary Fragment (translated from the Old English by Seamus Heaney)
In off the moors, down through the mist-bands
God-cursed Grendel came greedily loping.
The bane of the race of men roamed forth,
Hunting for a prey in the high hall.
Under the cloud-murk he moved towards it
Until it shone above him, a sheer keep
Of fortified gold. Nor was that the first time
He had scouted the grounds of Hrothgar’s dwelling---
Although never in his life, before or since,
Did he find harder fortune or hall-defenders.
Spurned and joyless, he journeyed on ahead
And arrived at the barn. The iron-braced door
Turned in its hinge when his hand touched it.
Then his rage boiled over, he ripped open
The mouth of the building, maddening for blood,
Pacing the length of the patterned floor
With his loathsome tread, while a baleful light,
Flame more than light, flared from his eyes.
He saw many men in the mansion, sleeping,
A ranked company of kinsmen and warriors
Quartered together. And his glee was demonic,
Picturing the mayhem: before morning
He would rip life from limb and devour them,
Feed on their flesh: but his fate that night
Was due to change, his days of ravening
Had come to an end. ...
[... Grendel kills a sleeping warrior and then turns to Beowulf, and a great battle ensues ...]
... The story goes
That as the pair struggled, mead benches were smashed
And sprung off the floor, gold fittings and all.
Before then, no Shielding elder would believe
There was any power or person on earth
Capable of wrecking their horn-rigged hall
Unless the burning embrace of fire
Engulf it in flame. Then an extraordinary
Wail arose, and bewildering fear
Came over the Danes. Everyone felt it
Who heard that cry as it echoed off the wall,
A God-cursed scream and strain of catastrophe,
The howl of the loser, the lament of the hell-serf
Keening his wound. He was overwhelmed,
Manacled tight by the man who of all men
Was foremost and strongest in the days of this life.
[... the fight continues and nobody can come to Beowulf's aid ...]
... As long as either lived
He was hateful to the other. The monster’s whole
Body was in pain, a tremendous wound
Appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split
And the bone-lappings burst. Beowulf was granted
The glory of winning; Grendel was driven
Under the fen banks, fatally hurt,
To his desolate lair. His days were numbered,
The end of his life was coming over him,
He knew it for certain; and one bloody clash
Had fulfilled the dearest wishes of the Danes.
The man who had lately landed among them,
Proud and sure, had purged the hall,
Kept it from harm; he was happy with his night-work
And the courage he had shown. The Geat captain
Had boldly fulfilled his boast to the Danes:
He had healed and relieved a huge distress,
Unremitting humiliations,
The hard fate they’d been forced to undergo,
No small affliction. Clear proof of this
Could be seen in the hand the hero displayed
High up near the roof: the whole of Grendel’s
Shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp.
Oefening: Beowulf - comprehension questions
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Answer these questions to check whether you've understood the fragments from Beowulf.
➜ Answer the study questions below in your Literary History File.
➜ Use the PDF file below to check & correct/complete your answers.
➜ Upload a screenshot of your work to Seesaw/Egodact.
Beowulf is set in a period before Christianity had firmly taken hold in Western Europe. Yet, there are quite a few references to God in the poem. Think of reasons why that could be.
Grendel is introduced as a blood-thirsty monster. Make a list of words/phrases in the fragments that underline his evil nature.
Why do you think Beowulf would celebrate his victory by pinning Grendel's arm to the wall?
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a 14th century poem by an anonymous poet. It is a chivalric romanceset at King Arthur's court. It tells the story of Sir Gawain, Arthur's nephew, who takes up a challenge from the mysterious Green Knight. It revolves around honour, honesty, and chivalric themes like hunting, seduction and promises.
It is written in Middle English, so much more easily understood than a work like Beowulf. However, to the untrained eye, this English still looks rather foreign. Have a look at the four opening lines for an idea.
"Siþen þe sege and þe assaut wats sesed at Troye,
þe borgh brittened and brent to brondez and askez,
þe tulk þat þe trammes of tresoun þer wroght,
Watz tried for his tricherie, þe trewest on erthe."
The poet uses an interesting combination of alliteration, which was popular in Anglo-Saxon times, as well as end rhyme, made popular in and imported from medieval France. It uses the bob and wheeltechnique to combine these two. This, and the extent of his descriptive vocabulary, marks him as a very skilful poet.
Check out the video below for an idea of how Middle English sounds like.
4b. Literary Fragment(s)
Introduction
The chivalric poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight starts at a New Year's Eve celebration at the court of King Arthur in Camelot. The King and his knights are sitting at the Round Table when a giant of a man, clad in green clothing and with green skin, comes in on a green horse. He presents himself as the Green Knight and challenges Arthur to the following: that Arthur deals him a blow with his axe now, and that the Green Knight will return the same blow in a year and a day. Gawain, Arthur's nephew and a young and ambitious knight, leaps up to take up the challenge on his king's behalf. He strides up to the Green Knight, takes his axe and cuts the Green Knight's head clean off. However, the Green Knight does not fall dead to the ground. Instead, he calmly picks up his head, mounts his horse and tells Gawain he will expect to see him in a year and a day at the Green Chapel.
Gawain is quite concerned, but cannot think of a way to get out of the challenge. So, after almost a year, he takes his leave of court and travels to find the Green Chapel. On his search, he comes to a castle, owned by a knight called Bertilac, who informs him that the Green Chapel is quite close by and offers Gawain to rest at his castle for a few days before he sets out for the Green Chapel. Gawain gratefully accepts this offer. Bertilac gives him another offer: that Gawain rests at the castle a few days while Bertilac goes out hunting, and that at the end of the day they will exchange whatever they have received that day. Gawain accepts this offer too...
➜ Read the fragments from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight below
➜ Answer the comprehension questions you will find below the text.
➜ Upload a screenshot of your results to Seesaw/Egodact.
Gawain lies in bed and is approached by the lady of the castle
Thus larks the lord by linden-wood eaves,
while Gawain the good man gaily abed lies,
lurks till the daylight gleams on the walls,
under canopy full clear, curtained about.
And as in slumber he lay, softly he heard
a little sound at his door, and it slid open;
and he heaves up his head out of the clothes,
a corner of the curtain he caught up a little,
and watches warily to make out what it might be.
It was the lady, the loveliest to behold,
that drew the door after her full silent and still,
and bent her way to the bed; and the knight ashamed,
laid him down again lightly and feigned to sleep.
And she stepped silently and stole to his bed,
caught up the curtain and crept within,
and sat her full softly on the bedside
and lingered there long, to look when he wakened.
The lord lay low, lurked a full long while,
compassing in his conscience what this case might
mean or amount to, marvelling in thought.
But yet he said to himself: ‘More seemly it were
to descry with speech, in a space, what she wishes.’
Then he wakened and wriggled and to her he turned,
and lifted his eyelids and let on he was startled,
and signed himself with his hand, as with prayer, to be
safer.
With chin and cheek full sweet,
both white and red together,
full graciously did she greet,
lips light with laughter.
The lady of the castle gives Gawain a kiss, which he returns to lord Bertilac that night. So it goes on, but on the third day, the lady of the castle gives Gawain a green girdle, which she claims will protect the wearer from harm. Gawain gives lord Bertilac the kisses he's received, but he keeps the girdle for himself.
When Gawain confronts the Green Knight, he is standing ready with his axe. The Green Knight strikes but refrains from hitting him; Gawain flinches in fear and the knight berates him for his cowardice. The Green Knight strikes again, but again doesn't hit Gawain. On the third stroke, the Green Knight hits Gawain very lightly, nicking his neck and drawing blood. He then goes on to reveal his true identity as Lord Bertilac!
‘For it is mine that you wear, that same woven girdle;
my own wife gave it you, I know it well forsooth.
Now, know I well your kisses and conduct too,
and the wooing of my wife; I wrought it myself.
I sent her to test you, and truly I think you
the most faultless man that was ever afoot.
As a pearl beside whitened pea is more precious,
so is Gawain, in good faith, beside other good knights.
But here sir you lacked a little, wanting in loyalty;
but that was for no wily work, nor wooing neither,
but for love of your life – so I blame you the less.’
The other strong man in study stood a great while,
so aggrieved that for grief he grimaced within.
All the blood of his breast burnt in his face,
that he shrank for shame at all the man said.
The first words the knight could frame on that field:
‘Curse upon cowardice and covetousness both!
In you are villainy and vice that virtue distress.’
Then he caught at the knot and pulled it loose,
and fair flung the belt at the man himself:
‘Lo! There’s the falseness, foul may it fall!
For fear of your knock cowardice me taught
to accord with covetousness, forsake my kind,
the largesse and loyalty that belongs to knights.
Now am I faulted and false, and ever a-feared;
from both treachery and untruth come sorrow
and care!
I confess to you knight, here, still,
my fault in this affair;
let me understand your will,
and henceforth I shall beware.’
The Green Knight laughs and says that he pardons Gawain, for he understands he holds his own life dear. He confesses the whole thing was a scheme by Morgan Le Fay, a sorceress, who wished to upset Arthur's wife. Gawain is truly shamed by his cowardice and his treachery and vows to wear the green sash forever to remind him of the importance of honesty. Upon his return to court, the other knights also adopt the green sash.
Oefening: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - comprehension questions
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Algemene Informatie
Titel
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - comprehension questions
➜ Answer the study questions below in your Literary History File.
➜ Use the PDF file below to check & correct/complete your answers.
➜ Upload a screenshot of your work to Seesaw/Egodact.
What do you think of the character of the lady of the castle? Does she strike you as a typical medieval aristocratic woman?
Sir Gawain is very upset with himself for having behaved dishonourably, but the Green Knight shows understanding and calls him a noble knight. Why would Gawain be so upset, but the Green Knight be okay with his behaviour?
The Canterbury Tales were written between 1387 and 1400 by Geoffrey Chaucer. He was a diplomat and travelled widely in Europe before settling down in his native England again. He must have been heavily influenced by modern Italian and French works, as he borrows literary techniques from Italian writers such as Dante Alighieri or Giovanni Bocaccio.
Written in Middle English, the story follows a group of pilgrims who are travelling the long journey from London to Canterbury Cathedral. Setting off from a London inn, the innkeeper suggests that during the journey each pilgrim should tell two tales to help pass the time. The best storyteller, he says, will be rewarded with a free supper on his return. Thus, Chaucer sets up a frame story, allowing him to tell multiple stories with different styles and topics within one overarching story.
Chaucer introduces us to a vivid cast of characters, including a carpenter, a cook, a knight, a monk, a prioress, a haberdasher, a dyer, a clerk, a merchant and a very bawdy miller. These characters come from all corners of 14th century society, and give Chaucer the chance to speak in many different voices. Some of the characters' tales are humorous, rude and naughty, while others are moral and reflective.
Chaucer began the tales in 1387 and continued until his death in 1400. It consists of a General Prologue (in which the story is set out and the characters introduced) and twenty-four tales, each told by a different character. These tales encompass many different genres, such as fables, romances, allegories and fabliaux.
A surprising number of copies of the Canterbury Tales survive from the 1500s - more than 80. This suggests the tales were enormously popular in medieval England.
Watch the video below to find out more about the importance of this medieval text.
4c. Literary Fragment(s)
Introduction
The Canterbury Tales is about a group of travellers who plan to set out on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, a city in the southwest of England that is home to the shrine of St Thomas Becket.
First some historical background on the history of Canterbury and its pilgrimages: Thomas Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury in the twelfth century. He fought for the rights of the Church against King Henry II, who was overheard saying something like "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" by a few loyal followers, who promptly travelled to Canterbury and murdered the Archbishop in the Cathedral. Very soon after, Thomas Becket was pronounced a saint and martyr, and people flocked from all over the country to go on pilgrimage to his shrine in the Cathedral.
In the Canterbury Tales Chaucer starts with the General Prologue, in which Chaucer sets out his story and introduces the various pilgrims. He then proceeds to set up the frame story thus: to pass the time in the evening, the innkeeper suggests a storytelling competition to keep them occupied during their travels. Each pilgrim is to tell two stories on the road to Canterbury, and two more on the way back. Whoever tells the best story, will win a free supper, paid for by the rest of the party.
Below, you will read a few fragments from the General Prologue. You will also watch video versions of a few of the tales.
➜ Read the fragments from The Canterbury Tales below.
➜ Watch the three videos showing the full tales of the Knight, the Miller and the Wife of Bath.
➜ Answer the comprehension questions you will find below the text and videos.
➜ Upload a screenshot of your results to Seesaw/Egodact.
➜ Answer the study questions below in your Literary History File.
➜ Use the PDF file below to check & correct/complete your answers.
➜ Upload a screenshot of your work to Seesaw/Egodact.
The Knight is one of the few pilgrims who provide no personal Prologue. The Miller first talks about how drunk he is, the Wife of Bath first outlines her different marriages before telling their story; the Knight, however, just dives straight in. Why do you suppose that is?
In the Middle Ages, people believed that the outward appearance of a person said a great deal about their character. Read the description of the Miller again. What would a medieval person conclude about the Miller's character based on this description?
Before the Wife of Bath dives into her story, she tells something about her personal life, particularly her five marriages. She was first married off as a twelve-year-old to a much older man, but her husband's death (and those of her following husbands) left her a wealthy woman. Her fourth and fifth marriages were to much younger men, and with these she had passionate fights over who had control over the household. These fights the Wife of Bath would win. How do the Wife of Bath's ideas about marriage and the relationship between man and wife resurface in her tale?
Here, you are expected to prepare an exhibition on a medieval topic demonstrating your knowledge of medieval literature and history. It should contain a practical component (something you perform, craft or make) and a theoretical component (something in which you show off your knowledge regarding this subject).
You are allowed to think of your own topic. Below, you will find some suggestions to help you get started.
Suggestions
a model of a Viking ship, including information on the Viking raids of England and the Scandinavian origins of Beowulf.
a 3D animation of the fight between Grendel and Beowulf, including information on the medieval archetypal hero.
a part of Beowulf or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, put to music and performed live.
a medieval New Year's feast, as it could have been served to King Arthur and his court.
a model of Canterbury Cathedral, including information on the role of Christianity in medieval society.
a map of the route taken by the pilgrims in Canterbury Tales, including information on the function of pilgrimages in medieval society.
5b. Rubric
Your work for the Literary History File is part of your Language Portfolio.
Below, you will find how your work will be assessed.
Good
Pass
Insufficient
Assignments
Your work is complete;
You've paid attention to the lay-out and design of your work, adding images where necessary;
You've made an effort in your study questions, showing your literary insight.
Your work is complete.
Your work is incomplete.
Class participation & interaction
You've attended all classes (Deo volente);
You've taken notes during classes;
You've shown an interest in participating in class discussions and/or asked questions to further your understanding and insight.
You've attended all classes (Deo volente);
You've answered questions during class discussions if prompted.
You've skipped classes;
You've been mentally absent during classes and often didn't know what was being discussed.
5c. Study Help
Concepts & terms to remember
Check your Literary History file whether you've taken notes on all these concepts/terms.
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voor alle doeleinden, inclusief commerciële doeleinden.
Egodact where you can keep track of what you are doing over the years.
Study Questions Beowulf + answers.pdf
