Beowulf, analisi e contesto storico, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica Beowulf, analisi e contesto storico e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! Celtic Britain-1000 BCE The Celts spread across Europe, taking over what is now France and Belgium and then crossing into Britain. Celtic Europe was dominated by three main groups: the Gauls, the Britons and the Gaels. They spoke a vaguely common language. The religion of the Celtic people of Britain was Druidism. The Roman invasion-43 CE One hundred years after raids in 55 and 54 BCE, the Romans conquered the island under Emperor Claudius. The Romans built a wall to defend the province of 'Britannia' under Emperor Hadrian. The Romans brought their civilisation to Britain, building towns, roads, stone villas and aqueducts. They also brought their language, Latin, and Christianity. End of the Roman occupation and beginning of Anglo-Saxon England-410 For nearly 400 years southern Britain was part of the Roman world. The last Roman soldiers left Britain in 410 CE when the legions were withdrawn to fight on the continent. New invaders, the Germanic tribes of Angles, Saxons and Jutes, arrived from the North Sea and they spoke dialects of a language we now call "Old English'. Anglo-Saxon vocabulary is mono-syllabic and refers to common fields like the body, animals, family relationships and daily activities. The Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy 660-800 Over the centuries the Germanic invaders fought to conquer territories until Anglo-Saxon England was divided into seven kingdoms (Kent, Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia, Essex, Wessex and Sussex). This period is known as the "Heptarchy' (660-800). Viking raids 793 Raids by seaborne Viking warriors began at the end of the eighth century. In 793 Viking raiders attacked the monastery of Lindisfarne. Over the next few decades many monasteries in the north were destroyed. The remaining monks fled in Ireland with a gospel book, the Book of Kells. CHRISTIANITY. Christianity was introduced into Britain by the Romans but disappeared with the invasions of the pagan Anglo- Saxons. At the end of the sixth century Pope Gregory the Great sent a monk named Augustine to convert the Anglo-Saxons. Augustine built a church in Canterbury. Saint Patrick, organised a church among the Celts of Ireland Gradually this Celtic form of Christianity spread round the outer edges of the British Isles. The Venerable Bede The Celtic reconversion of Britain saw churches and monasteries set up in northern England, where monks copied old manuscripts and wrote new ones. The Venerable Bede, wrote in Latin an Ecclesiastical Church History of the English People, which is the main source of our knowledge of this period. Alfred the Great 871-900 King Alfred united the Anglo-Saxon people against the Danes The Danes maintained possession of north eastern England, the Danelaw, but left Wessex undisturbed. Edward the Elder, his son, reconquered the Danelaw, and later issued laws recognising the multiethnic character of England at the time. The last invasion-The battle of Hastings-1066 Harold defeated the Vikings at the battle of Stamford Bridge. William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, landed with an army and he defeated the Anglo-Saxons at the battle of Hastings. Harold was killed and the Anglo-Saxon reign came to an end. William the Conqueror 1066-1087 With William as king of England, Normandy became an English territory. The Normans introduced the feudal system and built castles to defend their conquest. The defeated Anglo-Saxons were reduced to the condition of serfs and lost their property and rights. The Normans braught their language, Norman French. Latin and Norman French were now the languages of church and government. In 1085 William commissioned a survey, he could calculate how much money could be raised in taxes. This survey was published in a book called the Domesday Book,. Normand England after William William was succeeded by his son William II. The new king was succeeded by his younger brother Henry I. Henry was the first Norman king born in England and the first to speak English as well as French. He had no male heirs and was succeeded by his nephew Stephen. FEUD, CHURCH AND GUILD. Under the feudal system the land belonged to the king. The king portioned out areas of land known as feuds to his faithful followers, who in return promised him loyalty, a unit a fighting men and a certain amount of money. The serfs received no wages for their work but had the right to cultivate a few strips of land for themselves. In the towns the centers of aggregation were the church and the marketplace. In the growing towns guilds' emerged, a new form of trade organisation which trained new workers as apprentices and set wages and prices. From the Anglo-Saxon Age to the Middle Ages The birth of English literature is linked to two important events: the Anglo-Saxon invasion, and the spread of Christianity in England. The Normans brought with them a new interest in chivalric themes such as love, honour and loyalty. These values are embodied in the many legends related to King Arthur. ANGLO-SAXON LITERATURE The epic and the elegy. Much of early Anglo-Saxon literature is centred around religious subjects and is inspired by Christianity expressed. Anglo-Saxon literature exalted the qualities of an age of warriors, whose main ideals were bravery and heroism, but was pervaded by a deep sense of pessimism and melancholy. The most important poetic work of the Anglo-Saxon Age is Beowulf, an anonymous epic poem belonging to the oral tradition and transcribed by a monk. Beowulf reflects a time in the history of Germanic society when Paganism mingled with the Christian faith. The poem revolves around the actions of his eponymous character, Beowulf, a Scandinavian prince characterized by courage, integrity and selflessness, who has a strong adventurous tone and meets supernatural creatures. It is pervaded by a strong sense of sadness. Elegy is another important genre that developed around this time. It is characterized by a pervasive sense of melancholy and attention to the themes of loss and grief. The most famous of the Anglo-Saxon elegies is The Seafarer, a surprisingly moving reflection on the harsh living conditions of an Anglo-Saxon explorer of the sea. The style and language of Anglo-Saxon poetry. The most important traits of Anglo-Saxon poetry are: - the use of a fixed stress-pattern; - the use of alliteration; - the use of kenning. A kenning is the combination of two different words to create compound metaphors. Translations and Religious Drama Literary prose in Old English began thanks to king Alfred, who translated Bede's historical treatise Historia Ecclesiastica Genti Angiorum and Boethius' philosophical essay De Consolatione Philosophiae. This is also the age in which drama performances came back to life thanks to liturgical representations these were performances related to Christ's death and resurrection. Such performances are considered liturgical appendices that exploit some theatrical devices such as costumes and dramatic dialogue. After the Norman Conquest French started to be used as the main language for culture.. French culture influenced the literary production of this age in terms of language, genres and themes The literature of the Middle Ages is characterised by many genres Romances, poems and religious plays. All of them reflect an aspect of the multi-layered society of Medieval England.