Term
| The Ecclesiastical History of the English People |
|
Definition
Bede (ca. 673-735)
The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731) O.E. Period
-The Story of Caedmon
Genre & Form: history/chronicle in Latin prose
Themes: Uplifting the history of England and the English church, praising God
Relevance: Gives us Caedmon's Hymn, not a "vain and idle song" |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Caedmon
illiterate cowherd
Caedmon's Hymn (ca. 558-680) O.E.
Genre & Form: Praise Hymn, orally composed O.E. alliterative verse
Summary: Praises God and the creation
Relevance: Earliest recorded English |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Beowulf author
Beowulf (ca. 8-10th C) O.E.
Genre & Form: Epic, orally composed O.E. alliterative verse
Characters: Beowulf, Grendel, Grendel's mom, Hrothgar (old king), Wiglaf (young thane), Wealhtheow (H's wife), Freawaru ("peace pledge of the people")
Summary: 3 parts: Grendel, Grendel's mom, dragon
Themes: Warrior society, epic hero, king/thane relationship, wergild
Relevance: conversion text, between pagan and Christian traditions |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Rood Poet
The Dream of the Rood (ca. 8-10th C) O.E.
Genre & Form: Dream vision and conversion text, orally composed O.E. alliterative verse, frame narrative
Characters: the Rood, warrior Christ, the Dreamer
Summary: Rood as pagan tree god, submissive, thane, and an intercessor; Dreamer is model for Christian behavior, puts audience in position to be converted
Relevance: Conversion bridge between pagan/warrior culture and Christianity; distant God |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1343-1400)
Part of the new middle class, secular clerk
Canterbury Tales (ca. 1386 - 1400) M.E. Period
Frame narrative, in vernacular M.E. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
General Prologue
Genre & Form: Estate satire, iambic pentameter w/ rhymed couplets (IPRC)
Characters: Narrator (Chaucer pilgrim), Plowman (ideal 3rd estate-peasantry), Host
Summary: Introduces pilgrims and the story contest
Themes: Opens ostensibly as a romance, but turns to estate satire |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Knight's Tale
Genre & Form: (translatio) Romance, IPRC
Characters: Arcita (dies), Palamon, Emily, Theseus (duke of Athens)
Summary: Ancient Greek setting; POW Arcita and Palamon (sworn brothers) see through window and fall for Emily, Theseus has them battle for her; 3 temples: Mars (A for victory), Venus (P for Emily), Diana (E for virginity or loves me most)
Themes: Spiritual love vs. earthly; Courtly love; keeping Trouthe and honor |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Miller's Tale
Genre & Form: Fabliau ("churl's tale"), IPRC
Characters: Alison, carpenter (John, husband), Nicholas (student), Absalom (clerk)
Summary: Alison and Nicholas trick husband into believing God is going to send a flood, and trick Absalom into getting a butt and a fart instead of a kiss; John broken arm, thought crazy; Nicholas burned by poker of Absolom; Men punished
Themes: Courtly love vs. reality
Relevance: Sympathetic to women in loveless marriage (old, jealous man with young, vibrant girl)
Connections: a "quite" for the Knight's Tale |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Nun's Priest's Tale
Genre & Form: Beast fable, some courtly love satire, IPRC
Characters: Chautecleer (rooster), Pertelote (hen), Fox
Summary: C has prophetic dream that a fox will get him if he goes into yard, C cites textual authorities on truth of dreams, P call him coward, C goes into yard for sex, Fox gets C but he escapes by a trick of flattery
Themes: "Woman is man's ruination" (in Latin), translated to "Woman is man's joy and bliss": Nun's Priest pulling one over on the ignorant Prioress (his boss)
Relevance: No clear moral; Authority; Male/female relations |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Wife of Bath's Prologue
Genre & Form: Apology (literary confession), IPRC
Characters: Alison (WOB), 5 husbands: 1st 3 are "good" boring old men, "bad" 4th is a cheater, "bad" 5th (Jankyn) is the best
Summary: Jankyn clerk, reads from Book of Wicked Wives, WOB angry and tears the book, J hits her, she deaf in one ear, she makes him burn the book, he submits and gives her "maistrye," she then makes the marriage fairly equal
Themes: textual "authority" v. "experience"; "maistrye" and "sovereinty"
Relevance: Perspective from the wife estate, happy wife's take on marriage and sex |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Wife of Bath's Tale
Genre & Form: Arthurian Romance, exemplum of prologue, IPRC
Characters: the rapist Knight, the old woman, Queen Guinevere
Summary: Knight rapes a maiden, going to be executed, Arthur allows G to intercede and give quest to find "what women want", Old Woman teaches "woman want mastery in marriage" in exchange for marriage w/ K, K grossed out by old wife, OW offers beauty and faithlessness or age and faithfulness, K submits and gets it all! |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Franklin's Tale
Genre & Form: Breton Lay (short, romance poem w/ fantastic elements), IPRC
Characters: Averagus (husband and knight), Dorigen (wife), Aurelius (squire), Clerk
Summary: Aurelius tries to courtly love Dorigen but she loves husband, she jokingly promises to get with him if rocks on the shore disappear, Aurelius gets clerk to illusion rocks, A and D agree she has to fulfill her word, Aurelius lets her go, Clerk forgives Aurelius his payment for his honorable action
Themes: Courtly love v. real love; A happy marriage!; "Love will not be constrained by mastery"; "Truth shall deliver"; Gentilesse on the part of clerk, squire, knight |
|
|
Term
| Pardoner's Prologue and Tale |
|
Definition
Pardoner's Prologue and Tale
Genre & Form: Prologue: apology (literary confession); Tale: exemplum; IPRC
Characters: Pardoner, 3 revelers, old man
Summary: Pardoner greedy and works to get money (not for religion, sells fake relics); 3 revelers kill each other over gold; Old man directs them to "Death" but is gold
Themes: Power of rhetoric; Hypocrisy (in the church); "The root of all evil is greed" |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Parson's Prologue
Genre & Form: IPRC
Themes: Pilgrimage as metaphor for personal journey to salvation; Symbolism of sunset, birth -> death -> afterlife
Connections: Parson's Tale is serious prose, penitential treatise; with Retraction |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Chaucer's Retraction
Genre & Form: Apology (literary confession), IPRC
Summary: Repenting for previous (non-religious) works, could be seen as bragging under the guise of continuing the Parson's themes
Themes: Teach/delight, importance of spirituality and the soul (over frivolity) |
|
|
Term
| Sir Gawain and the Green Knight |
|
Definition
Pearl/Gawain Poet (active ca. 1375-1400)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (M.E. Alliterative Revival)
Genre & Form: Arthurian Romance; M.E. verse: long alliterative stanzas w/ rhymed "bob and wheel"
Characters: Gawain, Green Knight (Sir Bercilak), Lady Bercilak, Morgan le Faye
Summary: In Camelot, GK challenges knights to behead him and be beheaded in return in 1 year, G accepts, travels to find GK at Green Chapel; At Bercilak's, promise to exchange winnings: hunt (deer, boar, fox) and seduction (kisses and concealed girdle of protection), G doesn't keep his word, but doesn't get chopped, G loves his life
Themes: Knight of Truth, 5x5 Pentangle shield, G's lady is Mary
Relevance: Alliterative Revival (oral English tradition continues and evolves), Mary |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Pearl/Gawain Poet (active ca. 1375-1400)
The Pearl
Genre & Form: Dream vision; link words, complex rhyming scheme, lots of alliteration
Characters: Narrator/dreamer/dad, daughter/Pearl
Summary: Mourns daughter, vision of her as virgin bride of Christ, she teaches him about God, he still tries to cross river (boundary between mortal realm and heaven)
Themes: Main lesson: submit to the will of God, His grace is enough for all
Relevance: female intercessor, more personal Christ (spouse metaphor) |
|
|
Term
| The Second Shepherd's Play |
|
Definition
Wakefield Master (active last quarter 15th C)
The Second Shepherd's Play (ca. 1475) Mystery Plays
Genre & Form: Dramatized scripture, Mystery Cycle play, rhyming "thirteeners"
Characters: Shepherds: Coll, Gib, Daw; Mak and Gill; Mary, Angel, Jesus
Summary: Shepherds complain about 15th C taxes, landowners, weather; Mak steals sheep to feed his kids; Gill helps by disguising sheep as newborn; Shepherds want to give gift (generosity) to baby; They find sheep, forgive (forgiveness) Mak; welcomed to see Jesus; gift cherries, bird, clay ball as they would any baby; Mary prays for them
Themes: Humanity and intimacy of Christ; Entertaining and accessible to people
Relevance: Valuing common man |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Julian of Norwich (1342 - ca. 1416)
A Book of Showings (Short Text 1373, Long ca. 1390)
Genre & Form: M.E. prose spiritual autobiography
Characters: Julian, mother Christ, Mary
Summary: 16 visions, illness and affective piety accesses visions, compassion with the Passion, Christ's human body, domestic imagery, Christ as mother
Relevance: Intimate "homely" connection with Christ, valuing women's bodies and spirituality, authority as a woman writer, optimistic theology, God of love |
|
|
Term
| The Book of Margery Kempe |
|
Definition
Margery Kempe (ca. 1373-1438)
illiterate wife, middle/low class
The Book of Margery Kempe (1436-1438)
Genre & Form: M.E. prose spiritual autobiography (dictated to clerks)
Characters: Margery, husband, Archbishop, Julian of Norwich
Summary: After birth of 1st child, goes crazy, sees demons; 1st vision of her marriage and intimacy with Christ; makes financial deal with husband for freedom from sex; pilgrimage to Jerusalem; challenges the Archbishop; meets with Julian; sees a pieta
Relevance: affective piety; women with a direct, intimate, authoritative connection with God; woman's right to mastery over her spirituality and body; crying |
|
|
