Anglo Norman Period: It is a very important period in English Literature. As you student of English Literature, you must study all periods as well as Anglo Norman Period. We are making these notes for educational purposes. It would be very helpful for the students of BBMKU and VBU University of Jharkhand. Apart from these, all learners of literature also can study it. You can also join our Video lessons on our educational YouTube channel Jharkhand Pathshala.
Anglo Norman Period English Literature
It is the second part of the series, Background of English literary works. Anglo-Norman Duration comes after the end of the Anglo-Saxon. Middle English Duration is separated right into three parts this one (Anglo-Norman) is the first one. The age of Chaucer and After Chaucer is thought about as the entire Middle English Period. The period of this age is 1066 to 1350 based on the official reports. So, today we will certainly review briefly the attributes and also literary qualities of the Anglo-Norman Period. But, prior to going into that, we will take a look at its historic background.
Historical Background
The Anglo-Norman Period was started after the Fight of Hastings in 1066. William I, the Norman king defeated King Harold and also inhabited Britain. Prior To the Norman Conquest, there was not any symbol of the French language. Yet, the Normans brought with them French Society and language. And also, as a result, the french language connected with the native English language (Middle English). Besides this, french was chosen as the main language of that time as a result of political superiority. So, the king and his authorities utilized to interact through the french language as well as the common people utilized to engage with their languages. Nevertheless, the Latin language was additionally existing there in the form of spiritual messages because of the Anglo-Saxon Period.
Nonetheless, in this duration, much more points took place. London became the Resources city of England and the educational center also. Both primary universities, Oxford and Cambridge set up in this period, specifically 1167 as well as 1209. However, French was finally turned down from the tag of Authorities language in 1415, when King Henry V attested English domination in England.
Literature of Anglo Norman Period
During this period we find three types of poems:
Chronicles: Back then, there were a lot of chronicles. As well, these are additionally called Historiography. Layamon’s Brut is an incredibly popular instance belonging to this style. It consisted of 16,000 lengthy alliterative lines with the background of Britain, especially the historiography of the old English period. However, Robert of Gloucester and also Robert Manning of Brune were also popular writers.
Religious and also Didactic: As we understand, Religious poetry is always there in any type of English period. The Owl and the Nightingale and also the Cursor Mundi are the supreme instances of this kind of poetry. In the Owl and also the Nightingale, we discover a characteristic of discussion besides the religious theme. Because of this, it came to be significantly influential help the upcoming English writers.
The Romances: We have gone over earlier (previous blog) that there was no such sort of message of romances in the old English period. However, here we will certainly locate great deals of romances written at this time. And also it is none yet the result of French influence from the Normans. However, the romances vary significantly by their topics. As well as therefore, it can be divided right into 3 significant classifications – The Matter of Britain, The Matter of Rome, and The Matter of France.
The Matter of Britain included the activities of King Arthur. Similarly, The of Rome and The Matter of France handled respectively Alexander the Great as well as Charlemagne with his affiliates. However, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is thought about as the finest of all middle English romances.
Prose: There were no such important texts in the form of prose except The Ancrene Riwle and The Azenbite of Inwit.
Literary Characteristics:
Non-Alliterative: In the old English, we located the with alliteration. But, in the Anglo Norman, the feature transformed due to french impact. That’s why virtually every we discover that is non-alliterative. Rhyme and Meter: In the Anglo-Saxon, there was no set meter and the poetry was unrhymed. But, below we see the. Rhyming takes place in poetry and somehow a beginning of meter or syllabic pattern is yet to be established. Topic: War, as well as Religion, were the major features of Anglo-Saxon verse. Yet, below the Romance takes place and is also joined together with the existing two themes. So, the theme of love we find in this time is not the earthly one however the ideal one. The optimal love suggests the love of a soldier to his country or his native land.