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The Anglo-Saxon Period and the Middle AgesIntroduction to the Literary Period
Fast Facts
Key Concept: The Anglo-Saxon Legacy
Key Concept: The Normans Invade Britain
Key Concept: Life in Medieval Society
Your Turn
Feature Menu
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Historical Highlights
• King Alfred and his descendants unite Anglo-Saxon England in the late ninth century.
• The Romans invade Britain in 55 B.C. and create a four-hundred-year period of political stability.
• William the Conqueror defeats the Anglo-Saxons in 1066 and introduces feudalism to Britain.
The Anglo-Saxon Period and the Middle Ages Fast Facts
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Literary Highlights
• The bards ensure stories have an important position in early British culture.
• The brooding fatalism of pagan Anglo-Saxon culture gives the first British epic, Beowulf, its melancholy tone and stress on earthly heroism.
• Christian monks copy ancient manuscripts, preserving classical and Anglo-Saxon texts.
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The Anglo-Saxon Period and the Middle Ages Fast Facts
• Chivalry gives rise to a new form of literature, the romance.
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History of the Times
• Troubles at home forced Rome to evacuate its soldiers in A.D. 409, opening Britain to invasion.
• After the legions of Rome conquered the Celts, Roman armies kept Britain free from invaders.
Key Concept: The Anglo-Saxon Legacy
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• Until ninth century, Britain is subject to constant invasions and battles.
• King Alfred unites Anglo-Saxons against the invading Danes.
• Angle and Saxon clans impose warrior culture on the island for six centuries.
History of the Times
• The spread of Christianity helps unify the Anglo-Saxons.
Key Concept: The Anglo-Saxon Legacy
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• Poetry, like fighting, hunting, and farming, had great significance.
Literature of the Times
• Old English epic poem Beowulf combines Germanic heroism and Anglo-Saxon fatalism.
• Anglo-Saxon literature is rooted in oral tradition.
• Bards relied on sound devices and repeated phrases to remember their tales.
Key Concept: The Anglo-Saxon Legacy
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• Christian monks copy ancient manuscripts, preserving classical and Anglo-Saxon texts.
Literature of the Times• English emerges as a
written language.
• Historical poems in Anglo-Saxon Chronicle detail events of early English history.
Key Concept: The Anglo-Saxon Legacy
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Comprehension Check
What event led to the Anglo-Saxon invasion of the British provinces?
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Key Concept: The Anglo-Saxon Legacy
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• By establishing a social structure called feudalism, William created a hierarchy of rulers under one lord and a network of thousands of knights sworn to serve him.
History of the Times
• To squash revolts, William divided the land among his loyal barons and built castles around the country.
• In the Norman invasion of 1066, William the Conqueror defeats the Anglo-Saxons.
Key Concept: The Normans Invade Britain
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• Bibles and gospels created in monasteries were celebrated for their brilliant illuminated manuscripts, all created by hand.
Literature of the Times
• Reflecting the chasm between the British masses and the Norman rulers, literature was usually written in Latin or Norman French after 1066.
• Old English disappears from laws and literature after William makes French the language of the state.
Key Concept: The Normans Invade Britain
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Comprehension Check
How was William the Conqueror able to form such a powerful army following his victory in 1066?
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Key Concept: The Normans Invade Britain
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History of the Times
• The contributions of each group affected how well villages and towns prospered.
• Medieval society was dependent on strictly defined social classes—nobility, knights, priests, merchants, and peasants.
• Villages, built around castles, were the fundamental center of medieval society.
• Social mobility was nearly impossible in the Middle Ages. Social rank remained fixed.
Key Concept: Life in Medieval Society
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• Works written in English, such as ballads and romances, helped to define England’s identity.
• Some medieval writers began to use the vernacular, or language of the people.
Literature of the Times
• A new literary form—the romance—becomes popular, reflecting the concepts of courtly love and chivalry.
Key Concept: Life in Medieval Society
• Scholarly works from monasteries and universities reflect society’s interest in moral instruction and morality plays.
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Comprehension Check
Describe the trends in English literature during the Middle Ages. Were they reflective of life at the time?
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Key Concept: Life in Medieval Society
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Your Turn
Copy the Academic Vocabulary list into a notebook.
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Try to use the words as you outline the main ideas of the selections in the collection that follows.
concept status
diverse attribute
emphasis
The Anglo-Saxon Period and the Middle AgesIntroduction to the Literary Period
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The End