Brief History of English Literature from 700-1700

Introduction

The English language, as a result of numerous invasions over the centuries, belongs to the Germanic branch of the West. Initially, the language spoken in Britain was the Celtic language, which is then superimposed on the Latin. At sunset of the Roman Empire in 410 AD, the Emperor Honorius fails to defend the Roman cities from internal attacks of the Celts, and especially not subdued the Germanic tribes from outside attack, effectively abandoning the British domination of the island. Overlapped so the Celtic and Latin to the Germanic languages ??, which take root and form the basis of the English language, which contributions will be added to the Scandinavian Viking invasions.

History pre-Anglo-Saxon

In 55-54 BC, the England, then inhabited by the Celts, was invaded by the legions of Caesar stationed in Gaul; from 54 BC to 43 BC, under Caesar, through a subsequent colonization of southern England built by the Emperor Claudius (Harbage, 35). This slow process of Romanization of the Celtic peoples native that lasted until the spring of 410 AD, when Roman troops left forever the threat to Britain to defend Rome by the troops of the Visigoth Alaric.

Religious

The oldest fragment of Old English poetry consists of nine verses of the Creation of the seventh century, written by Pastor Caedmon, an illiterate who says he received divine inspiration to poetry. In an alleged school Caedmon are other poems, such as paraphrase of Genesis, Daniel, Exodus and another poem today is untitled, but is listed as "Christ and Satan."

The oldest religious poet in store for certain of autographs is Cynewulf, who was born between the late eighth and early ninth century, writer for sure.

Epic

At this time Beowulf, the oldest poem composed in the vernacular European, dating from the mid-eighth century, and the result of subsequent rewrites, compared to an oral tradition, probably primitive (Hattaway, 69). It is written in a basic Saxon and a mixture of languages ??that have changed later.

Elegiac

The elegiac production comes entirely from the code Exeter. This is text with different themes, but united by 'lyrical tone and a sense of desolation, of wistful nostalgia for a past stable compared to an uncertain present, projecting into the desire mystical reunion with the divine, a death wish saving.

The Middle Ages (tenth century - 1485)

With the ' Norman invasion in 1066, England is trilingual: French rulers of the northern, the Middle English or Middle Italiano (language of the people), and Latin (ecclesiastical language and intellectual) (Dyson, 13). It was only the English, however, to emerge as a literary language. In 1382 it was the first translation of the Bible through, and John Wycliffe.

Literature and mystical homiletics

Ancrene Riwle-rule-of anchorites, 8 sections, 1 and 8 dedicated to monastic practices and aspects of everyday life (interesting in order to obtain the time), the remaining sections, dealing with the spiritual life in seclusion, and practice of confession as a means of purification, in fact, are good examples of great psychological insight for the time ...