OLD ENGLISH PERIOD MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD THE AGE OF CHAUCER

DATES 5TH CENTURY AD TO 1150 TO 1350 1350 TO 1450

1150 AD
HISTORICAL Departure of Romans Norman and
BACKGROUND Invasion of Germanic
Reign of Edward III
tribes Angevin dynasties Lancastrian
Christianization Internal struggles Dynasties
Norman invasion
Rise of religious
Long French Wars
orders
Blossoming of The Black Death
chivalry and the Strong criticism of
spirit of Romance the way of the
The Crusades church.
Social and
intellectual
movements
DEVELOPMENT OF Complex grammar Weakening in
THE LANGUAGE Native vocabulary
Tendency towards
Borrowing from Latin inflections Standardization of
Four dialects Scandinavian and the English
French loan of
language.
words
Five dialects Amalgamation of
English and French
 words.
East midland
lang. of the capital
and university
LITEREARY FEATURES Pagan origin
OF THE TIME Anonymous
Transition Modern note:
Imitative quality Experimentation Spirit of criticism
Manuscripts
Anonymous Interest in mans
works affairs
Domination of Less childlike faith
poetry Acute spirit of
drama
Anonymity is
passing away
DEVELOPMENT OF Beowulf Chronicles- Lazamon Brut
POETRY Pagan poems about Romances
Lyric poetry
warriors and war Religious and didactic continues to
The elegies poetry
Epics Poetry is the main literary develop
No really lyric poetry form
Religious themes
The rise of ballad
Secular lyrics there are (more popular)
few examples of lyric
poetry Rise of allegory
Romance
 continues (used at
court)
DEVELOPMENT OF Alfred the great: Not matured yet Still immature but it continues
PROSE translations of Homiletic prose, for developing
religious and practical purposes. Original and individual
historical texts. Ancrene Riwle- the most Used in letters, official
Aelfric, Wulfstant imp. Prose text. documents, civil records
Translations from the Translations of the Bible
Bible
Religious and
historical themes
CHAUCERS BIOGRAPHY