english ii pre-ap
TRANSCRIPT
English II Pre-AP
Old English
Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum;
Si þin nama gehalgod
to becume þin rice
gewurþe ðin willa
on eorðan swa swa on heofonum.
urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg
and forgyf us ure gyltas
swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum
and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge
ac alys us of yfele soþlice
Middle English
Oure fadir that art in heuenes,
halewid be thi name;
thi kyndoom come to;
be thi wille don
in erthe as in heuene:
gyue to us this dai oure breed
ouer othir substaunce;
and forgyue to us oure dettis,
as we forgyuen to oure gettouris;
and lede us not in to temptacioun,
but delyuere us fro yuel.
Timeline
1066—William the Norman
invades and conquers
England
Bayeux Tapestry 1077
410—Romans
retreat from
England
991—Battle of
Maldon
Viking/Anglo-Saxon Rule 410-1066
Norman Rule 1066-1154
Medieval Period 1154-1485
1347—Black
Death kills 50%
of the
population
1154—An
English King
(Henry II) back
on the throne
a little context
• Alliterative Revival
• Bob-and-Wheel: a two- or three-syllable
“bob” followed by a quatrain (the
“wheel”)
• Bob: bridge between long series of
alliterative lines and the wheel; stress is
on the last syllable
• Wheel: usually contains three stressed
syllables per line
• Rhyme scheme (beginning with bob) is
ABABA
• Exists only in one 14th-
century manuscript = Cotton
Nero A.x. (Hmmm… sound
familiar?)
• Manuscript containing
Gawain also contains three
other poems, including Pearl
• Author = the “Pearl Poet;”
clearly familiar with life of
the nobiility
• Romance: An adventure tale that recounts
the heroic deeds of knights and celebrates
their chivalric way of life; conveys medieval
values of loyalty and Christian faith
• Common Characteristics:
• Tells adventures of a young, nearly perfect hero
• Opens with a feast
• Involves a challenge
• Involves supernatural elements
• Teaches the hero a moral lesson
• Includes women as temptation
• Shows cyclical qualities of nature
The Known
The Unknown or Shadow Realm
STAGE ONE:
SEPARATION
STAGE TWO: INITIATION
STAGE THREE: RETURN
Call to Adventure
Threshold
Guardians
Crossing the Threshold
Supernatural
Aid
Atonement
with the Father
Transformation/
Revelation
Ultimate Boon
The Return
Reward
(Freedom to Live)
Long narrativeLong narrativeLong narrativeLong narrative poempoempoempoem Long narrativeLong narrativeLong narrativeLong narrative poempoempoempoem
About the exploits of a single hero
who is usually the savior/protector of
his people
The hero fights for an ideal, not to
save his tribe. Usually goes on a
quest.
Exists in a warrior/shame culture
(don’t shame your family name!)
Exists in a courtly culture, where
courtesy and reverence for women is
as important as fighting skill
Realistic setting (even if fantastic
elements exist, such as dragons).
The places, people, and economic
conditions are often real.
Idealization of places and people.
Not meant to be realistic.
Ends in death of the hero (Glorious
and Honorable!)
Happy ending! (almost always)
• Chivalry: the code that guides
the behavior of knights in
romance literature. It requires a
knight to…
• Swear allegiance to his lord
• Fight to uphold Christianity
• Seek to redress all wrongs
• Honor truth by word and deed
• Be faithful to one lady
• Act with bravery, courtesy, and
modesty
• Courtly love: comes from “rules” the were developed to regulate the behavior of lovers• Love songs and poems tell of a man’s unrequited love for a woman
• Lovelorn hero feels inferior to the woman and flatters her in song and verse
• Man does everything he can to refine himself to become worthy of her love
• Man desires to serve the woman and be rewarded with love
• To love her is exquisite pain, yet it gives him great joy (a paradox!)
• The woman can A) advance the affair and reward him, OR B) reject and spurn him.
• Interweaving narratives• Beheading game
• Quest
• Seduction tale
• Beheading Game – common in oral poetry1. Outsider comes to court and challenges.
2. Hero accepts challenge.
3. Hero gives outsider a blow, cutting off his head.
4. Hero journeys to the court of the outsider.
5. Outsider tests the hero .
6. Hero accepts the return blow and returns to court.
• Archetypes
• Use of the bob-and-wheel
• Traits of Romances (and contrasts
to what might happen in an epic)
• Structure – great deal of
structural unity
• Use of parallels and balance
• Use of contrast and antithesis