Since the Norman invasion of 1066, Anglo-Saxon had been displaced as the language of the court and the ruling classes of England, and was mainly spoken by the peasant classes. The English kings and queens spoke French for going on three hundred years. And very few high-ranking members of society spoke English. But a big shift was underway in the 14th century and English was back with a vengeance, in new and exciting ways! Freed from imposed rules and customs, it had taken on a life of its own, evolving 'underground' at its own pace and integrating elements from French especially. This vastly increased its scope, its vocabulary and idiom, and it was rapidly regaining respectability among the learned and the elites of the country. The tendancy was encouraged by the highly nationalistic outlook of the king, Edward III (1312-1377), who spoke English, and expressed pride in the language. When Henry IV claimed the throne in 1399, he did so in front of Parliament, in English. Nothing could stop it now.
Verse in English up until this time was limited to mainly protest poetry against the clergy and the nobility, and no English literature was commissioned. In the 14th century all this changed, and the revitalised language, now known as Middle English, became the medium for some of the greatest writers of the country. Modern English comes later, in the Renaissance, and contrary to popular belief, Shakespeare writes in Modern English. It would be good to look at four writers of this exciting period of renaissance:
Verse in English up until this time was limited to mainly protest poetry against the clergy and the nobility, and no English literature was commissioned. In the 14th century all this changed, and the revitalised language, now known as Middle English, became the medium for some of the greatest writers of the country. Modern English comes later, in the Renaissance, and contrary to popular belief, Shakespeare writes in Modern English. It would be good to look at four writers of this exciting period of renaissance:
- Geoffrey Chaucer (c1340-1400): the greatest of them all, and the 'father of English literature', famous for the immense work The Canterbury Tales, held in great affection in the English speaking world.
- John Gower (c1330-1408): personal friend of Chaucer whose most famous work in English is Confessio Amantis, a 30,000 line poem
- William Langland (c1332-1386): the presumed author of the allegorical poem, Piers Plowman.
- And the anonymous writer of the extraordinary work Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
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ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment. I am delighted you like the site. I have not had too much time to add posts recently, but will get back to it when I have a moment. I wonder what you appreciate in particular, I am always interested in feedback so I can cater for people's interests and taste.
ReplyDeleteWith best wishes,
Andrew