Influences of English and Early Britain History

Influences of English

• Indo-European languages influenced English, originating 5,000 years ago.
• Germanic languages, including Eastern (Burgundian, Vandal, Gothic) and Modern (Icelandic, Faroe, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish), and Western Germanic (German, Dutch, Frisian, English) shaped English.
• Scandinavian languages entered the British Isles and assimilated, influencing English usage.
• Latin had the most significant impact on English, with approximately 70% of English words originating from Latin.

History of Early Britain

• Human presence in Britain spanned 10,000 years.
• British identity was established in 1707 with the unification of England, Wales, and Scotland.
• Germanic tribes, including Angles (giving name to England), Jutes, Saxons, and Frisians, invaded Britain in the early 5th century.

Anglo-Saxon Society

• Early Britain was a wealthy kingdom, successful in agriculture and trade.
• Taxes supported the king, earls, and the Church, making them the highest class.

Contemporary and Popular Literature

• Three forms of storytelling: oral, written, and performance (visual, music, etc).
• Storytelling exists in all cultures, religions, languages, and time periods.

Types of Stories

• Fiction stories are based on imaginary events.
• Nonfiction stories are based on real events.

Functions of Monks

• Monasteries were important centers of learning.
• By the 11th century, almost every village had a church, playing a central role in people's lives.
• The church collected 10% of annual earnings to maintain, support the poor and pay priests, etc.

Poetry

• Poetry uses rhythm and rhyme for memorization.
• Poetry existed before writing and used as a way for conveying stories, humor, beauty, or political messages.

Elements of Poetry

• Poetic line- single line of words.
• Stanza- section of poetry within specific lines.
• Enjambment- continuation of words onto next line without pause.
• Placement- arrangement of words on the page.
• Verse- line in traditional poetry.
• Rhythm- basic beat of a poem.
• Meter- pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
• Rhyme scheme- repeated pattern of sounds.
• Assonance- repetition of vowel sounds.
• Consonance- repetition of consonant sounds.
• Onomatopoeia- words that imitate sounds.
• Repetition- repetition of words, sounds, or phrases.

Figurative Languages

• Simile - comparison using “like” or “as”
• Metaphor- comparison without “like” or “as”
• Personification- giving human qualities to nonhuman things
• Symbolism- representing something else with a symbol
• Hyperbole- excessive exaggeration

Drama

• Drama (plays) are written to be performed.
• Types include comedies (lighter plots, happy endings), tragedies (dark themes, disaster, pain, death), farces (nonsensical, slapstick humour), and others.
• Elements like acts and scenes structure plays.

Philosophers

• Socrates- questioning method (Socratic method) emphasized importance of the soul over the body.
• Plato (student of Socrates) maintained separation between body and soul, emphasizing the soul's superiority and permanence.
• Augustine- God's love as basis for human existence.
• René Descartes- “I think, therefore I am” emphasized self-knowledge and consciousness as core of human existence.
• John Locke- views the self as a "blank slate" shaped by experience; tabula rasa.

The Self in Contemporary Literature

• Self-awareness affects our thoughts, behaviours, relationships, and self-image.
• Various theories on self-evaluation, self-esteem, and narcissism.