ENGLISH

LITERATURE
WHAT IS ENGLISH LETERATION?
English Literature refers to the study of texts from around
the world, written in the English language. By studying a
degree in English Literature, you will learn how to analyze
a multitude of texts and write clearly using several
different styles.
Old English literature refers to poetry and prose written in
Old English in early medieval England, from the 7th century
to the decades after the Norman Conquest of 1066, a period
often termed Anglo-Saxon England.The 7th-century work
Cædmon's Hymn is often considered as the oldest surviving
poem in English, as it appears in an 8th-century copy of
Bede's text, the Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
Poetry written in the mid 12th century represents some of the
latest post-Norman examples of Old English.Adherence to the
grammatical rules of Old English is largely inconsistent in
12th-century work, and by the 13th century the grammar and
syntax of Old English had almost completely deteriorated,
giving way to the much larger Middle English corpus of
literature.
WHY IS ENGLISH LITERATURE
IMPORTANT?
Studying for an English literature degree allows
you to develop a thorough knowledge of
literaturary history,theory,and criticism,and
enhaces your understanding of a wide range of
cultures and intellectual traditions.
GEOFFREY CHAUCER

■ Father of English Literature

■ Geoffrey Chaucer was an English poet, author, and

civil servant best known for The Canterbury Tales. He
has been called the "father of English literature", or,
alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He was
the first writer to be buried in what has since come to
be called Poets' Corner, in Westminster Abbey.
Chaucer also gained fame as a philosopher and
astronomer, composing the scientific A Treatise on the
Astrolabe for his 10-year-old son Lewis. He maintained
a career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier,
diplomat, and member of parliament.
GEOFFREY CHAUCER
Born:1340s
London, England
Died:25 October 1400 (aged 56–57)
London, England
Resting place:Westminster Abbey, London, England
Occupation:Author•poet•philosopher•bureaucrat•diplomat
Era:Plantagenet
Spouse:Philippa Roet ​(m. 1366)​
Children:4, including Thomas
Among Chaucer's many other works are The Book of the Duchess, The House of
Fame, The Legend of Good Women, and Troilus and Criseyde. He is seen as
crucial in legitimising the literary use of Middle English when the dominant
literary languages in England were still Anglo-Norman French and Latin.
Chaucer's contemporary Thomas Hoccleve hailed him as "the firste fyndere of
our fair language". Almost two thousand English words are first attested to in
Chaucerian manuscripts.
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Chaucer's attitudes toward the Church should
not be confused with his attitudes toward
Christianity. He seems to have respected and
admired Christians and to have been one
himself, though he also recognised that many
people in the church were venal and corrupt. He
wrote in Canterbury Tales, "now I beg all those
that listen to this little treatise, or read it, that if
there be anything in it that pleases them, they
thank our Lord Jesus Christ for it, from whom
proceeds all understanding and goodness.
LATERATURE WORKS
■ Chaucer's first major work was The Book
of the Duchess, an elegy for Blanche of
Lancaster who died in 1368. Two other
early works were Anelida and Arcite and
The House of Fame. He wrote many of his
major works in a prolific period when he
held the job of customs comptroller for
London (1374 to 1386). His Parlement of
Foules, The Legend of Good Women, and
Troilus and Criseyde all date from this time.
It is believed that he started The
Canterbury Tales in the 1380s.
CHAUCER- also translated Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy and
The Romance of the Rose by Guillaume de Lorris (extended by Jean de
Meun). Eustache Deschamps called himself a "nettle in Chaucer's
garden of poetry". In 1385, Thomas Usk made glowing mention of
Chaucer, and John Gower also lauded him.

CHAUCER Treatise on the Astrolabe describes

the form and use of the astrolabe in detail and is
sometimes cited as the first example of technical
writing in the English language, and it indicates
that Chaucer was versed in science in addition to
his literary talents.The equatorie of the planetis is
a scientific work similar to the Treatise and
sometimes ascribed to Chaucer because of its
language and handwriting, an identification
which scholars no longer deem tenable.
The Book of the Duchess, also known
as The Deth of Blaunche,is the earliest
of Chaucer's major poems, preceded
only by his short poem, "An ABC",
and possibly by his translation of The
Romaunt of the Rose. Based on the
themes and title of the poem, most
sources put the date of composition
after 12 September 1368 (when
Blanche of Lancaster died) and before
1372, with many recent studies
privileging a date as early as the end of
1368.
Overwhelming evidence suggests that Chaucer wrote the
poem to commemorate the death of Blanche of Lancaster,
wife of John of Gaunt. The evidence includes handwritten
notes from Elizabethan antiquary John Stow indicating that
the poem was written at John of Gaunt's request. There are
repeated instances of the word "White", which is almost
certainly a play on "Blanche". In addition, at the end of the
poem there are references to a "long castel", suggesting the
house of Lancaster and a "ryche hil" as John of Gaunt was
earl of Richmond and the narrator swears by St. John,
which is the name of John of Gaunt's saint.
4 TYPES OF LITERATURE
In the landscape of literature,there are
four major genre;
POETRY,DRAMA,FICTION,AND
CREATIVE NONFICTION.While there are
certain key recognizable features of each
genre,these are not so much rules as they are
tools,or conventions,the author uses.
•poetry, literature that evokes a
concentrated imaginative awareness of
experience or a specific emotional response
through language chosen and arranged for
its meaning, sound, and rhythm.
•In literature, a drama is the portrayal of fictional or non-fictional events
through the performance of written dialog (either prose or poetry). Dramas
can be performed on stage, on film, or the radio. Dramas are typically called
plays, and their creators are known as “playwrights” or “dramatists.”
•fiction, literature created from the imagination, not presented as fact,
though it may be based on a true story or situation. Types of literature in
the fiction genre include the novel, short story, and novella. The word is
from the Latin fictiō, “the act of making, fashioning, or molding.”
Within the world of creative writing, the term creative nonfiction
encompasses texts about factual events that are not solely for scholarly
purposes. Creative nonfiction may include memoir, personal essays,
feature-length articles in magazines, and narratives in literary journals.
In descending order of quantity, Old English
literature consists of: sermons and saints'
lives; biblical translations; translated Latin
works of the early Church Fathers;
chronicles and narrative history works;
laws, wills and other legal works; practical
works on grammar, medicine, and
geography; and poetry. In all, there are over
400 surviving manuscripts from the period,
of which about 189 are considered major. In
addition, some Old English text survives on
stone structures and ornate objects.
The poem Beowulf, which often begins the traditional canon of English literature, is the
most famous work of Old English literature. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has also proven
significant for historical study, preserving a chronology of early English history.

In addition to Old English literature, Anglo-Latin works comprise the largest volume of
literature from the Early Middle Ages in England.
The term Middle English literature refers to the literature
written in the form of the English language known as Middle
English, from the late 12th century until the 1470s. During
this time the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based
English became widespread and the printing press
regularized the language. Between the 1470s and the middle
of the following century there was a transition to early
Modern English. In literary terms, the characteristics of the
literary works written did not change radically until the
effects of the Renaissance and Reformed Christianity became
more apparent in the reign of King Henry VIII. There are
three main categories of Middle English literature, religious,
courtly love, and Arthurian, though much of Geoffrey
Chaucer's work stands outside these. Among the many
religious works are those in the Katherine Group and the
writings of Julian of Norwich and Richard Rolle.
After the Norman conquest of England, Law French became the standard language of courts, parliament, and society. The Norman
dialects of the ruling classes mixed with the Anglo-Saxon of the people and became Anglo-Norman, and Anglo-Saxon underwent a gradual
transition into Middle English. Around the turn of the thirteenth century, Layamon wrote in Middle English. Other transitional works
were popular entertainment, including a variety of romances and lyrics. With time, the English language regained prestige, and in 1362 it
replaced French and Latin in Parliament and courts of law. Early examples of Middle English literature are the Ormulum and Havelock
the Dane. In the fourteenth century major works of English literature began once again to appear, including the works of Chaucer. The
latter portion of the 14th century also saw the consolidation of English as a written language and a shift to secular writing. In the late 15th
century William Caxton printed four-fifths of his works in English, which helped to standardize the language and expand the vocabulary .
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