21st Century Literature from the
Philippines and the World
450– 1066 A.D.
Pre-Historical / Pre-Roman
Stonehenge
The name "England" is derived from the
Old English name ENGLALAND, which
means
“LAND OF THE ANGLES"
Few surviving texts with little in common.
Language closer to modern German than
modern English.
Frequently reflect non-English influence.
Pre-Historical / Pre-Roman
The island we know as England was occupied by a
race of people called the Celts. One of the tribes
was called they Brythons or Britons (where we get
the term Britain)
The Celts were Pagans and their religion was
know as “animism” a Latin word for “spirit.” Celts
saw spirits everywhere
Druids were their priests; their role was to go
between the gods and the people
Important Events During Roman Occupation
Julius Caesar begins invasion/occupation in 55 B.C.
Occupation completed by Claudius in 1st cent. A.D.
Hadrian’s Wall built about 122 A.D.
Romans “leave” in 410 A.D. because Visigoths
attack Rome
St. Augustine (the “other” St. Augustine!) lands in
Kent in 597 and converts King Aethelbert (king of
Kent, the oldest Saxon settlement) to Christianity;
becomes first Archbishop of Canterbury
The Anglo-Saxon Period
—or—
“How English got to be so hard to study, but is still
so beautiful to hear and read”
Quick History of English Language
Old English (OE) dates from approximately* 400 A.D.
to 1066
Middle English (ME) dates from approximately 1066-
1485
They are quite different to the eye and ear. Old
English is nearly impossible to read or understand
without studying it much like and English speaker
today would study French, Latin, or Chinese
*The dating of the beginnings of OE is difficult; scholars only have written texts in OE
beginning in around 700 A.D., but peoples in England must have been speaking a
version of OE prior to works being written in the vernacular (as opposed to Latin)
Another Way of Looking at the History of English
Old English 400-1066 Beowulf “Gaæþ a wyrd swa hio scel” (OE)
(from =
Beowulf!) “Fate goes ever as it must” (MnE)
Middle 1066-1485 Chaucer “Whan that Aprille with his
English (from CT) shoures soote . . . ” (ME) =
“When that April with its sweet
showers . . .” (MnE)
Early Modern 1485-1800 Shakespear “Sir, I loue you more than words
English e can weild ye matter” (EMnE) =
(from KL) “Sir, I love you more than word
can wield the matter” (MnE)
Modern 1800- Austen It is a truth universally acknowledged,
English present (from P&P) that a single man in possession of a
good fortune must be in want of a
wife.
OE=Old English ME=Middle English EMnE=Early Modern English MnE=Modern English
English = ?
Celtic (from 1700 or 400 B.C. to 55 B.C.) +
Latin (from 55 B. C. to 410 A. D.) +
German (from 410 A.D. to 1066 A.D.) +
French (from 1066 A.D. to 1485 A.D.) =
OLD ENGLISH and MIDDLE ENGLISH
VERY DIFFICULT LANGUAGE, BUT ONE PERFECT
FOR LIMITLESS AND BEAUTIFUL EXPRESSION
English is a Melting Pot of Indo-European
Languages
Celtic Latin German French
Transition to Beowulf
Literature: Beowulf , the earliest literature, the
national epic of the Anglo-Saxon, one of the
striking features – the use of alliteration
By 700, Christian missionaries arrive to convert
the pagans
Latin (the language of the Church) returns
King Alfred
the Britons become organized
first true king of the Britons
period of prosperity
The major text we will read from this period is the epic
Beowulf. It is the story of a Scandinavian (Geat) “thane”
(warrior or knight) who comes to help a neighboring tribe,
the Danes, who are being attacked by a monster.
According to Venerable Bede (an early English
historian who lived in the eighth century), the
Britons called the Romans for help when the Picts
and Scots were attacking them (B.C.). Hundreds
of years later, the Britons called the Saxons to help
them when the Romans couldn’t. The Saxons
came “from parts beyond the sea” (qtd. in Pyles
and Algeo 96).
This journey of Germanic peoples to England
“from parts beyond the sea” is the prototypical
story for the first millennium of England’s history.
It formulates much of their cultural mindset and
clearly influences their stories. Be sure to consider
how it plays a role in Beowulf.
