1、History and Anthology of English Literature,Part II The Anglo-Norman Period (1066-1350),I. Historical background,In the year 1066, at the battle of Hastings (黑斯廷斯战役), the Normans (诺曼底人) headed by William, Duke of Normandy (诺曼底公爵),defeated the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Normans were the descendants of t
2、he Normans who ruled England following the conquest.,William, Duke of Normandy,William I (William the Conqueror),Map showing the initial deployments at the Battle of Hastings,Tower of London (Castle built by William),The Tower of London, seen from the River Thames,Historical background - Normans,Any
3、 of the Vikings (北欧海盗), or Norsemen (古代挪威人; 古代斯堪的纳维亚人), who settled in northern France (or the Frankish kingdom) and their descendants. As pagan pirates from Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, they raided the European coast in the 8th century. They settled in the lower Seine (塞纳河) valley by c. 900.,Histo
4、rical background - Normans,In 911 they were granted territory around what is now Rouen (鲁昂) by King Charles III and then extended their territory westward. They founded the duchy (公爵领地,公国) of Normandy, governed by a line of rulers who called themselves counts (伯爵) or dukes of Normandy.,Historical ba
5、ckground - Normans,Though the Normans converted (皈依) to Christianity and adopted the French language, they continued to display their Viking ancestors recklessness (鲁莽) and appetite for conquest. In the 11th century they seized England in the Norman Conquest and colonized southern Italy and Sicily.,
6、Historical background - Normans,The Normans also participated in the reconquest of Spain and in the Crusades (十字军东征), and the Normans of Italy and Sicily were rivals of the Byzantine (东罗马帝国的, 拜占庭的) emperors.For more information on Norman, please visit B,Historical background,The three chief effects
7、of the conquest were (a) the bringing of Roman civilization to England; (b) the growth of nationality, i.e. a strong centralized government, instead of the loose union of Saxon tribes; (c) the new language and literature, which were proclaimed in Chaucer.,Historical background,Anglo-Norman is the na
8、me given to the dialect of Medieval French imported into Britain in the wake of the Norman Conquest and used there. It has left an indelible (无法消除的；不可磨灭的) trace on Modern English.,Historical background,During the following three centuries Anglo-Saxon speech simplified itself by dropping of its Teuto
9、nic (条顿语的;日耳曼语的) inflections (词尾形态变化), absorbed eventually a large part of the French vocabulary, and became the English language.,A short history of the development of the English language,Old English (450-1100 AD) Middle English (1100-1500) Modern English Early Modern English (1500-1800) Late Mode
10、rn English (1800-Present),The Germanic Family of Languages,Classification,The English language belongs to the Anglo-Frisian (弗里斯兰语) sub-group of the West Germanic branch of the Germanic languages, a member of the Indo-European languages. English originated in the dialects of North Sea Germanic that
11、were carried to Britain by Germanic settlers from various parts of what are now the Netherlands, northwest Germany, and Denmark.,II. Anglo-Norman literature,English literature was also a combination of French and Saxon elements. The three centuries after the Roman conquest saw the large scale introd
12、uction of French culture and literature, and through French literature the introduction of Italian literature.,Anglo-Norman literature,Romance (罗曼司;骑士传奇) was a type of literature that was very popular in the Middle Ages. The great age of medieval romance was the 12th and early 13th centuries and its
13、 chief breeding ground was the aristocratic society in France. From France it was introduced into England in the second half of the 13th and 14th centuries.,Anglo-Norman literature,Romance, in the original sense of the word, means the vernacular (native) language, as opposed to Latin, and later it m
14、eans a tale in verse, embodying the life and adventures of knights.,Anglo-Norman literature,A knight was originally no more than a household servant, living in the lords hall and to serve him in war, and when necessary, to fight for the king, from whom the barons (地主或贵族) or lords had got their land.
15、 Later, the great barons gave land to knights on condition that they should be ready to fight when called upon. Thus a feudal system of hierarchy (等级制度) was formed.,Helmeted Medieval Knight or Soldier,Anglo-Norman literature,Romance was characteristic of the early feudal age, as it reflected the spi
16、rit of chivalry (骑士精神;骑士品质;侠义), i.e. the quality and ideal of knightly conduct. The content of romance was usually about love, chivalry and religion.,Anglo-Norman literature,It generally concerns knights and involves a large amount of fighting as well as a number of miscellaneous adventures; it make
17、s liberal use of the improbable, often supernatural, and it often includes romantic love.,Knights,Anglo-Norman literature,In subject matters (题材), romance naturally falls under three categories: (a) the Matter of France: tales about Charlemagne the Great and Roland, a French national hero in the 8th
18、 century. The most well-known piece is Chanson de Roland; (b) Matter of Greece and Rome: an endless series of fabulous tales about Alexander the Great, and about the fall of Troy; (c) Matter of Britain: tales having for their heroes Arthur and his knights of the Round Table.,Anglo-Norman literature,
19、King Arthur (亚瑟王), Legendary Character / Royalty Born: c. 6th century A.D. Birthplace: England Died: Possibly 537 A.D. Best Known As: Ruler of Camelot (kmilt卡米洛特,传说中亚瑟王王宫所在地),King Arthur,Anglo-Norman literature,King Arthur is one of the great mythic figures of English literature, a legendary king an
20、d champion of the Britons against the Anglo-Saxon invaders, immortalized in the 15th century by Malorys Le Morte Darthur, chivalric tales about the Knights of the Round Table and the search for the Holy Grail (圣杯).,Anglo-Norman literature,Most of the stories about Arthur belong to the 12th century a
21、nd later. There were many cycles of Arthurian romances, chief of which are those of Gawain, Lancelot, Merlin, the Quest of the Holy Grail, and the Death of Arthur, to name a few.,Anglo-Norman literature,King Arthurs existence is disputed. Historians cant decide whether anyone like Arthur ever existe
22、d, though most now accept that the legend is very loosely based on a real historical figure; he may have been a 5th or 6th century ruler named Arturus or Riothamus.,King Arthur as a young lad,King Arthur and the Round Table (film),Lancelot,Lancelot fights a boar,The Holy Grail,In Arthurian legend, a
23、 sacred cup that was the object of a mystical quest by knights of the Round Table. It was first given Christian significance as a mysterious, holy object by Chrtien de Troyes in the 12th-century romance Perceval, or the Count of the Holy Grail.,The Holy Grail,The grail was sometimes said to be the s
24、ame cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and later by Joseph of Arimathea to catch the blood flowing from the wounds of Jesus on the cross. The most notable figure connected with the grail was Sir Galahad, who, according to Sir Thomas Malorys Le Morte Darthur, found the grail and achieved mystical u
25、nion with God.,The Holy Grail,Galahad, Bors, and Percival achieve the Grail,III. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,The poem reflects the ideal of feudal knighthood. A true knight should not only dedicate himself to the church but also should possess the virtues of great courage, of fidelity to his pro
26、mise, and of physical chastity and purity.,1350 The Black Death in England 1348-1350,The Black Death, a bubonic plague (腺鼠疫) pandemic (大流行病) which reached Europe in 1347 spread to England in 1348, and killed between a third and more than half of the nations inhabitants. The Black Death was the first
27、 and most severe manifestation of the Second Pandemic, caused by the Yersinia pestis (鼠疫菌) bacteria,which was carried in the blood of wild black rats and the fleas that lived off the rats.,The Black Death in England 1348-1350,Normally there is no contact between these fleas and human beings, but whe
28、n their rat hosts (寄主;宿主) die, these fleas are forced to seek alternatives - including humans!,The Black Death in England 1348-1350,It is generally believed that The Black Plague was brought to England by people who had been infected on the European mainland who sailed into English ports, and by fle
29、a infested ship rats. The rats were the reservoir hosts (储存宿主;存储宿主) of the Y. pestis bacteria and the flea, principally the Oriental rat flea, was the primary vector (带菌者; 带菌生物).,The Black Death in England 1348-1350,By the end of 1350 the Black Death had subsided, but it never really died out in England for the next several hundred years. There were further outbreaks in 1361-62, 1369, 1379-83, 1389-93, and throughout the first half of the 15th century. It was not until the late 17th century that England became largely free of serious plague epidemics.,Thank you!,
