ME EngLT 11 Q2 1401_SG_Old English and Middle English Literature PDF

21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature LESSON 14.1 Old English and Middle English Literature Table of Contents Introduction...

21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature LESSON 14.1 Old English and Middle English Literature Table of Contents Introduction 1 Objectives 2 DepEd Competency 2 Warm-Up 2 Learn about It 3 Old English Period 4 Middle English Period 5 Key Points 8 Check Your Understanding 8 Let’s Step Up! 10 Bibliography 11  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature Lesson 14.1 Old English and Middle English Literature Fig. 1. English literature is a result of the growth and development of English culture, rich history, and changing perspectives throughout the centuries. Introduction England, Scotland, and Wales are the geographical states that comprise Great Britain. Together with Northern Ireland, the country is known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In these lands were born the literary works that would help mold literature into what it is today. 1  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature Objectives In this lesson, you should be able to: Identify important personalities during Old English Literature like St. Bede, Alfred the Great, and William the Duke of Normandy. Recognize Old English poetry and prose. Describe Middle English literature. Be Familiar with Middle English poetry. List significant works like The Death of Arthur and The Canterbury Tales. DepEd Competency At the end of this lesson, you should be able to discuss how different contexts enhance the text’s meaning and enrich the reader’s understanding (EN12Lit-IIb-32, EN12Lit-IId-25, EN12Lit-IIc-33). Warm-Up Think-Pair-Share Materials pen notebook or a piece of paper Procedure 1. Research the characteristics and examples of the English language during the Old and Middle Ages with a partner. 2. Compare these characteristics with the modern English language. 2  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature 3. Present your findings in class. Guide Questions 1. Can you give examples of literary pieces written during the Old English Period of English Literature? 2. Can you provide examples of literary works written during the Middle English Period of English Literature? Learn about It Vocabulary ecclesiastical has something to do with the Christian church or clergy (adjective) cornerstone a basic element or foundation of something (noun) philologist one who studies how languages or words develop (noun) Gallic French (adjective) formulaic containing a formula or a predictable style (adjective) Essential Question How did the Old and Middle Ages shape English literature? 3  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature Old English Period Old English literature spans from around 600 to 1200 AD. It was the soulful and practical expressions of a people who struggled, lost, and triumphed over and against neighboring invaders and warring factions. It encompasses Anglo-Saxon written and spoken works from ancient lands of what is now known as The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Old English literature also includes Anglo-Latin works. Old English literature could be described as religious because the major manuscripts of that period told about the lives of saints, religious poems, as well as religious narratives. The production of copies of the Old and New Testament of the Christian Bible also contributed to the rich literature of the period. Important Personalities in Old English Literature a. St. Bede or Venerable Bede was a monk who wrote the ecclesiastical history of England. This became the cornerstone of the literary tradition. A little later, Alfred the Great came. b. Alfred the Great was the Father of the English (Old English) language. He was the first Anglo-Saxon king who unified the Anglo-Saxons. He brought literacy to the people. In 597 AD, Augustine of Canterbury went to England. Because of this, schools and monasteries were founded. Through these, literary artistic expressions and the greatest books were written. c. In 1066, in the Battle of Hastings, William the Duke of Normandy defeated the Anglo-Saxon king Harold Godwinson. This victory not only made him William I of England but also ushered in Anglo-Norman dominance in Britain. They made a shift in the development of English literature. Germanic in nature, the Old English or Anglo-Saxon was used for many years in courts, law, schools, and university. It was the Anglo-Norman dominance that ushered in Middle English literature that featured Norman and Gallic or ancient French influences in the tradition. 4  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature Old English Poetry and Prose Because of the foresight of the various monasteries or abbeys across the centuries in Britain, most Old English poetry survived through these four manuscripts, namely, The Beowulf Manuscript, The Exeter Book, The Junius or Caedmon Manuscript, and the Vercelli Book. Old English poetry is characterized by patterns of four-stress lines and six-stress lines. In addition, a caesura or syntactical break is placed in between the second and third stresses of the poem. Poetry in Old English is known to be formulaic. Poets draw from a common stock of phrase patterns and have a prescribed description for every kind of character. A unique feature of this kind of poetry is the use of kennings. Kenning is a type of figurative language that poets use instead of a noun. It is often made up of two words separated by a hyphen. They may call the sea as a swan-road or a sword as a wound-hoe. One example of Old English poetry is “The Dream of the Rood” from the Vercelli Book. It was the earliest dream poem and one of the greatest religious poems in the English language. It was about the dream of the rood or the cross as it was used as an instrument for Jesus’ sacrifice for mankind. The cross, which once symbolized death and punishment, was now a symbol of the redemption of mankind. Also, the earliest prose work was written in this period, which is the law code of King Aethelberht I of Kent, could be dated 597. Other prose that was written in this period similarly focused on laws, wills, and charters. Middle English Period The term Middle English was first created to mark a period in the development of the English language. Most of the philologists at that time wanted to divide the history of 5  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature language into three periods, Old English, Middle English, and New or Modern English. Literary historians adopted the name Middle English from the language historians. Most works of literature in this period are devoted to some aspect of religion. They are both religious and secular in nature because of the educated members of the church who reflected in their writings the various educational and social levels of the society. Examples of these were stories of the saints’ lives, miracle plays, and sermons, among others. Middle English Poetry The early period of the literature of Middle English centralized on poetry adapted from the Normans. Several of these were still written in Old English and focused on their linguistic characteristics rather than their aesthetic literary features. From Old English, they were influenced by the French. Romance was one of their predominant themes. Middle English poetry, like its predecessor, has its set of rules. During the late Middle English, alliterative verse is one of the features of Middle English poetry along with the stress and caesura from the Old English period. Alliterative poetry has no standard but has a variety of versions that developed as the centuries passed. One example of alliterative verse is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which also exhibits the style of bob and wheel. The bob is the first line that is shorter than the rest, and the wheel is the quatrain that follows the bob. The poem is about Sir Gawain, a knight of the round table, and the Green Knight who challenges Sir Gawain to strike him with his axe in exchange for a return blow after a year and a day. Significant Works Among the most significant works in this period were The Legend of King Arthur written by Thomas Malory and The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. 6  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature a. Le Morte d’Arthur or Death of Arthur was first published in 1485 by William Caxton. The tale is divided into two volumes, containing such stories as the tale of King Arthur and the tale of Sir Launcelot du Lac. “Le Morte d’Arthur” Volume I, Book I, Chapter VI (excerpt) Thomas Malory Now assay, said Sir Ector unto Sir Kay. And anon he pulled at the sword with all his might, but it would not be. Now shall ye assay, said Sir Ector to Arthur. I will well, said Arthur, and pulled it out easily. And therewithal Sir Ector knelt down to the earth, and Sir Kay. Alas, said Arthur, my own dear father and brother, why kneel ye to me? Nay, nay, my lord Arthur, it is not so, I was never your father nor of your blood, but I wot well ye are of an higher blood than I weened ye were. And then Sir Ector told him all, how he was bitaken him for to nourish him, and by whose commandment, and by Merlin’s deliverance. Then Arthur made great doole when he understood that Sir Ector was not his father. Sir, said Ector unto Arthur, will ye be my good and gracious lord when ye are king? Else were I to blame, said Arthur, for ye are the man in the world that I am most beholden to, and my good lady and mother your wife, that as well as her own hath fostered me and kept. And if ever it be God’s will that I be king as ye say, ye shall desire of me what I may do, and I shall not fail you, God forbid I should fail you. Sir, said Sir Ector, I will ask no more of you, but that ye will make my son, your foster brother, Sir Kay, seneschal of all your lands. That shall be done, said Arthur, and more, by the faith of my body, that never man shall have that office but he, while he and I live. b. The Canterbury Tales is a long poem by Geoffrey Chaucer about a collection of stories told by 31 pilgrims who went to see St. Thomas Becket’s shrine in Canterbury 7  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature Cathedral. These pilgrims started their journey from Tabard Inn in Southwark. The pilgrims were tasked to tell stories as they embark on their journey and were promised that the best storyteller will be given a reward. Let’s Check In What is a type of figurative language that poets from the Old English period use instead of a noun? Key Points Old English literature could be described as religious because of the Norman Conquest that brought Christianity to England. The alliterative verse is one of the features of Middle English poetry, along with the stress and caesura from the Old English period. Check Your Understanding Answer the following questions briefly and comprehensively. 1. Name the important personalities in Old English literature. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How would you characterize Old English poetry? ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ 8  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature 3. What is a kenning? Give an example. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Describe the early period of Middle English literature. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Write a cause and effect essay about Old English and Middle English literature. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Look for a literary text written during the Old English Period. Then, construct a five-to-seven-sentence paragraph that answers the following questions about the selection. 1. What is the text about? 2. How does the text represent the period? 3. What literary techniques and devices are employed in the selection? 4. What theme/s is/are evident in the selection? 5. How do you relate the selection in the 21st century world? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 9  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Look for a literary text written during the Middle English Period. Then, construct a five-to-seven-paragraph essay comparing the Old English text you chose in the previous activity with the Middle English Period text you selected. Use the questions in the last activity as your points of comparison. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Let’s Step Up! Write a poem using a bob and wheel style about modern-day objects. Make sure to include at least five kennings in your poem. Write your poem on a short bond paper and post it on your classroom bulletin board. 10  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature Bibliography Bronte, Charlotte. n.d. "Jane Eyre." Project Gutenberg. Accessed July 31, 2018. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1260/1260-h/1260-h.htm. Brown, John Russell, Terrence Spencer, and David Bevington. n.d. "William Shakespeare." Britannica. Accessed July 31, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Shakespeare. Burrow, J. A. 2008. Medieval Writers and their Work: Middle English Literature 1100-1500. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cambridge Dictionary. Accessed July 23, 2018. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/types-of-english-formal-in formal-etc/british-and-american-english. Coodin, David. 2017. The Differences Between Romanticism & Victorianism. Accessed July 23, 2018. http://penandthepad.com/differences-between-romanticism-victorianism-8657956.h tml. Davies, Hugh Alistair, and Peter Kemp, et al. 2017. The Literature of World War II (1939–45). Accessed July 23, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/art/English-literature/The-literature-of-World-War-II-193 9-45#toc13020. Dickens, Charles. n.d. "A Tale of Two Cities." Project Gutenberg. Accessed July 31, 2018. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/98/98-h/98-h.htm. 11  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature Hieatt, A. Kent. n.d. "Edmund Spenser." Britannica. Accessed July 31, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edmund-Spenser. Kemp, Peter, and Nicholas Shrimpton, et al. 2017. English Literature From 1900 to 1945. Accessed July 23, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/art/English-literature/The-20th-century. Lambdin, Laura C., and Robert T. Lambdin. 2002. A Companion to Old and Middle English Literature. London: Laura C. Lambdin and Robert T. Lambdin. Leech, Clifford. n.d. "Christopher Marlowe." Britannica. Accessed July 31, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Marlowe. Luebering, J. E. 2011. English Literature from the Old English Period Through the Renaissance. New York: Britannica Educational Publishing. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Accessed July 23, 2018. https://www.merriam-webster.com/ National Endowment For The Arts. n.d. Iambic Pentameter. Accessed July 23, 2018. http://www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org/education/iambic-pentameter. Ringler, William Andrew. n.d. "Sir Phillip Sidney." Britannica. Accessed July 31, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Philip-Sidney. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. 2017. bob and wheel. Accessed July 23, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/art/bob-and-wheel. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. 2017. Elizabethan literature. Accessed July 23, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/art/Elizabethan-literature. 12  21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Grade 11/12 Unit 14: English Literature The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. 2017. Spenserian stanza. Accessed July 23, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/art/Spenserian-stanza. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. 2017. The Dream of the Rood. Accessed July 23, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Dream-of-the-Rood. 13