UG TRB ENG - Unit 1 - Age of Chaucer
UG TRB ENGLISH
Recruitment Exam
Unit 1
Age of Chaucer
Study points
Pdf available at the end
The age of Chaucer
Before the age of Chaucer:
The old English period
The middle English period
The old English period:
Little knowledge on origin of English literature
Extemporary kind before written
Poem before prose
Oral before written
Historical background:
5th century - Norman conquest in 1066 - c. 1150
Rome left Britain in 410, inroads of invaders from the north.
English ( The Angles + Saxons + Jutes) came to defend against Picts and Scots.
Christianisation of the pagan English tribes.
9th century Danes settlement. ( Conquer Anglo Saxon England)
Contribution of Alfred the great. (An Anglo Saxon king)
Norman conquest in 1066. ( Duke of Normandy - William the conqueror)
Literary features:
Pagan origin
Anonymous origin
Imitativeness
Manuscripts the Beowulf
(Beowulf and Judith)
the Junis
(Caedmonian Poems)
the Exter Book
(Cynewulf)
the Vercelli Book
The language:
It was different from Celtic language spoken by Britons.
It has declinable nouns, pronouns and adjectives.
4 main dialects:
Northumbrain
Mercian
Kentish
West Saxon
Popular poems of the age:
Beowulf
Widsith
Waldere
Wife's lament
Christ and Satan
The Dream of the Rood
The middle English period:
Norman and Angevian dynasty
Renaissance
State of the language
Weakening of inflexional system
West Saxon to East midland
Literary features:
Anonymous nature
The transition
Domination of poetry
Poetry:
Chronicles (Leyamon's Brut)
Religious (Ormulum)
The alliterative poem (Pearl, Purity)
Romances
The matter of England
(Horn, Havelock, Richard)
The matter of Britain
(Arthur)
The matter of Rome the great
(Alexander)
The age of Chaucer (1343-1450)
General background
Growth of nationalism
100 year wars
Normans and Saxons together
Common language and literature
Slowly English became language of Courts
National calamities
Black death
Famine
Peasant Revolt
Transition period:
Transition from medievalism
Reformation:
Reservation of the church
Wycliffe produced complete English Bible
The Lollard movement opposed catholicism in England.
The Renaissance
Petrarch and Boccacio's influence
Geoffrey Chaucer
C.1340 - 1400
14th century
Major events during his life span:
100 years war (from 1337 to 1453) - 116 years ( between France and England)
Black death (from 1348 to 1349)
Peasant revolt 1381 ( Tyler's Rebellion)
Life points:
Parents: John Chaucer and Agnes Copton
Most likely was born at his parents' house on the street in London England.
Father was a wine merchant.
Believed to have attended the St. Paul's Cathedral School.
Spoken East midland dialect.
In 1357, at 17 years, Chaucer became a public servant to countess Elizabeth of Ulster, the Duke of Clarence's wife.
In 1359 he took part in the 100 years' war. She was captured at Rethel and Edward III paid for his ransom.
He joined diplomatic services and went throughout France, Spain and Italy.
In 1366 - wife : Philippa Roet. Passed away : 1387
In 1368 Chaucer became an esquire by Edward III.
From 1370 to 1373, he was on diplomatic missions in Florence and Genoa.
During this time he got himself familiarized with the works of Italian poet Dante and Petrarch.
He was appointed as Comptroller of Customs.
In 1377 and 1388 Chaucer was on a diplomatic mission to find a French wife for Richard II.
From 1389 to 1391 Richard II made him Clerk of the works. He was robbed two times.
Henry IV gave Chaucer's pension again.
He let the rest of his life in a leased apartment in the garden of Saint Mary's Chapel , Westminster.
At age 60, died on Oct 25, 1400
First to be burried at Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey.
Literary life:
French period
Italian period
English period
French period :
Up to 1370.
Influenced by Roman de la Rose, Guillaume de Machaut, Boethius
Important works:
Book of the Duchess
elegy, 1369, on the Death of Blanche, wife of John of Gaunt,
ABC, A Prayer to the Virgin
Translation of Roman de la Rose (incomplete)
Italian period :
Up to c.1387
His works were primarily based on Dante and Boccaccio
Important works:
The House of Fame
Based on Dante's Divine Comedy
The Parliament of Fowls,
Betrothal of Richard II to Anne of Bohemia
Prose Translation of Boethius' De Consolatione Philosophiae
Legend of Good Women (unfinished)
Troilus and Criseyde (complete)
based on Boccaccio's Filostrato
English period:
The Canterbury Tales
Prose :
The Treatise on Astrolabe
Written for his son Lewis
John Dryden in his Preface to Fables
Here is God's plenty
As a portrait - gallery
Man of most wonderful comprehensive nature
Matthew Arnold in his The Study of Poetry:
He will be read far more generally than he is read now.
With him is born our real poetry
Chaucer lacks not only the accent of Dante but also the high seriousness.
Lowes
Chaucer found English a dialect and left it a language
Spencer:
The well of English undefilled
John Lydgate and Thomas Occleve were among the first critics of Chaucer's Tales
Also known as:
Morning star of Renaissance
Father of English - George Puttenham
Father of English Poetry, - Dryden in his ' Preface to Fables'
Works of Chaucer:
French group:
Closely modelled upon French Originals. The style is clumsy and immature.
Romaunt of the Rose
Lengthy allegorical poem
1360s
Octosyllabic couplets
Based upon Le Roman de la Rose of Guillaume de Lorris Jean de Meung
Longest in the French Models
8000 lines; yet incomplete
The book of the Duchess
Written in 1369
Elegy, for the death of Wife of John of Gaunt
Allegorical lament
The Compleynt unto Pite
An ABC
The Compleynt of Mars
This poem has been seen as allegorical, astronomical, and interpretive-appreciative in nature, a number of critics have examined the poem only as a description of an astronomical event.
Italian group:
Advance upon the first. Handling of metre was. His work has growing originality.
Anelida and Arcite
1370s
It tells the story of Anelida, queen of Armenia and her wooing by false Arcite from Thebes, Greece.
The Parlement of Foules
Fine opening and comic spirits
700 line approx.
Some historians say written on 1380
Marriage negotiation between Richard II and Anne of Bohemia
Parliament of Fouls as a study of Christian love.
Neo - Platonic Ideas inspired by the likes of Poets Cicero and Jean De Meun
Troilus and Criseyde
Long Poem
Adapted from Boccaccio 'Filastrato'
About courtly love
Chaucer's best narrative work
Rime Royal - (a b a b b c c) Chaucer Originated it in this work.
Mid 1380 (Probably 1385)
Tells the love story of Troilus and Criseyde in the context of Trojen War
Being more complete and self contained work.
It recounts the love story of Troilus, son of the Trojan king Priam, and Criseyde, widowed daughter of the deserter priest Calchas.
The House of Fame
Octosyllabic couplets
1379
Dream allegory type
Adventures of Aeneas after the fall of Troy
The Legend of Good Women
Started with the intention of telling tales of 19 virtuous women.
But finishes only 8 and the 9th incomplete
First to use Heroic couplet /Iambic pentameter couplet.
The queen mentioned in the work is believed to be Anne of Bohemia.
1386
The prologue tells about the demand of God of love Alceste
The poem recounts the stories of ten virtuous women of history and myth who were martyrs for love throughout nine sections. The ten women are
Cleopatra,
Thisbe,
Dido,
Hypsipyle,
Medea,
Lucrece,
Ariadne,
Philomela,
Phyllis, and
Hypermnestra.
English Group:
Contains the work of the greatest individual accomplishments.
The Canterbury Tales
Inspiration from Boccaccio
1387 - 1400
17000 lines (yet incomplete)
Prologue 858 lines
29 pilgrims ( including Chaucer on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Thomas a Becket at Canterbury.
Carefully chosen types of character.
They are depicted in the 'prologue'
To not get tired, each of the pilgrims is to tell two tales on the outward journey, and two on the return.
But finished only 20 and 4 partly complete.
2 prose tales : The Tale of Melibus and The Parson Tale.
Heroic couplets / decasyllabic couplets
He used Rhyme Royal for four of the Canterbury Tales: the Man of Law's Tale, the Prioress' Tale, the Clerk's Tale, and the Second Nun's Tale, and in a number of shorter lyrics.
The Lak of Steadfastnesse
Compleynte of Chaucer to his Empty Purse
Socio - economic work
Medieval scholars have deduced that Chaucer is basically asking for his paycheck in this poem.
Origins upon the Maudeleyne
Lost
His Prose:
The Treatise on the Astrolabe
Written for his son Lewis
A non- fiction essay
5 parts but completed only 2
Wrongly ascribed to Chaucer:
The Flower and the Leaf
The court of Love
Important poets of Chaucer's Age:
William Langland / Langley:
1332 - 1400
Born in Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire
His friends called him Long Will
Poor; Wife : Catherine Daughter: Nicolette
He was a sort of reformer; reformer often gets a little promotions in that day.
He wrote ' The Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman'
It appears in many manuscripts. From that we know about the author.
Comes in three forms: A, B and C text.
Text A
Shortest
2500 lines
Now it is believed text A is only original. Text B and C may be written by others.
Probably written 1362
Text B
7200 lines
About 1377
Text C
More than 7300 lines
The vision in which he saw Piers the Plowman probably took place in 1362
The poem tells of the poet's vision on the Malvern Hills.
With Allegorical poetry - Do-wel, Do - bet and Do betst
The motive of the work is to expose the sloth and vice of the church and to show the world the struggles (unlike Chaucer) and virtues of common folks.
The poem may be considered from a threefold aspect.
As a picture of contemporary life and manners in town and country.
As a satire upon ecclesiastical abuses, and the follies and vices of the age.
As an allegory of Life.
John Gower
Died - 1408
Three chief works :
Speculum Meditantis - French
Lost and discovered in 1895
Vox Clamantis - Latin
Confessio Amantis - English
Allegorical setting
Seven deadly sins
Octosyllabic couplet
John Barbour:
Scottish poet
1316 - 1395
Major work : Bruce (1375)
13000 lines
Scottish freedom struggle
Prose writers of Age of Chaucer :
Sir John Mandeville:
Name in French: Jehan de Mandeville
Book of travels; translated to many languages including English.
In English version, there is a preface. From there we could know about the author. He was told as a Knight, who has crossed the sea.
Some consider Jehan de Bourgogne as the real author, Mandeville just as character.
John Wycliffe:
1320 - 1384
Pamphleter
Known for his translation of The Bible to English
Sir Thomas Malory
Died 1471
Known for his work ' Morte d' Arthur'
Printed by Caxton.
Like the travels of Mandeville, it is a compilation.
Dear aspirants,
Click on the below link to download the study material in pdf format for UG TRB English - Unit 1 - Age of Chaucer.
To download the study material Age of Chaucer 👉 Click here to open the file in Google drive.
Comments
Post a Comment