1.3 Major literary trends and genres in Middle English literature
2 min read•august 6, 2024
Middle English literature flourished with diverse genres and styles. From chivalric romances to religious plays, writers explored themes of love, faith, and morality. These works reflected the cultural and spiritual landscape of medieval England.
Narrative poetry, like , captivated audiences with heroic tales. Meanwhile, dramatic works like brought biblical stories to life. Religious themes permeated literature, showcasing the era's deep spiritual roots.
Narrative Poetry and Prose
Romantic and Allegorical Works
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- Romance genre gained popularity featuring tales of chivalry, , and heroic adventures (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)
- used symbolism and metaphor to convey moral or spiritual messages ()
- Dream visions framed narratives within a dream sequence allowing for exploration of abstract concepts and ideas ()
- Arthurian legends centered around the mythical King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table became a prominent subject in Middle English literature ()
Fables and Chronicles
- Beast fables anthropomorphized animals to teach moral lessons and satirize human behavior ( from )
- Chronicle genre recorded historical events and figures often blending fact with fictional elements ()
- Chroniclers aimed to preserve and celebrate the history of a particular region, dynasty, or institution
- Fables and chronicles served as both entertainment and didactic tools for medieval audiences
Dramatic Works
Mystery Plays
- Mystery plays dramatized biblical stories from Creation to Judgment Day
- Plays were organized into cycles performed by guilds during religious festivals ()
- Vernacular language made religious content accessible to lay audiences
- Staging techniques included elaborate sets, special effects, and audience interaction
Morality Plays
- Morality plays allegorized the spiritual journey and moral struggles of the individual soul ()
- Characters personified abstract qualities such as virtues and vices
- Plays aimed to instruct audiences on Christian doctrine and ethical behavior
- Morality plays influenced later forms of English drama including the works of Shakespeare
Religious and Lyrical Works
Devotional and Hagiographic Literature
- Lyric poetry expressed personal emotions and spiritual devotion often in the form of hymns, prayers, and carols
- Devotional works focused on the lives of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints ( from The Canterbury Tales)
- Hagiography recounted the lives, miracles, and martyrdoms of saints serving as models of piety and faith ()
- Religious lyrics and hagiography reflected the centrality of Christianity in medieval English society and culture
Mystical and Visionary Writing
- Mystical works described direct spiritual experiences and encounters with the divine ()
- Visionary literature recounted prophetic dreams, visions, and apocalyptic revelations (Piers Plowman)
- Female mystics and visionaries challenged traditional gender roles and asserted spiritual authority ()
- Mystical and visionary writing explored the inner life of faith and the relationship between the human and the divine
Key Terms to Review (29)
Allegory: Allegory is a literary device where characters, events, and details symbolize deeper meanings, often conveying moral, spiritual, or political messages. It allows authors to express complex ideas through symbolic representation, making it a powerful tool in literature that can reflect historical and cultural contexts, major literary trends, and themes.
Ballad: A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative, that tells a story and is typically set to music. This genre emerged during the Middle English period and became an essential part of folk tradition, often exploring themes of love, tragedy, and heroic deeds. Ballads played a vital role in shaping both lyric poetry and secular love lyrics by combining storytelling with emotional expression.
Chivalric romance: Chivalric romance is a genre of literature that centers on the adventures and ideals of knights, focusing on themes such as courtly love, bravery, and the quest for honor. These stories often feature heroic protagonists who undertake dangerous quests and face moral dilemmas, reflecting the values and ideals of chivalry in medieval society. Chivalric romances serve as a significant element in the development of Middle English literature, showcasing intricate character development and narrative structures that influence later literary works.
Courtly love: Courtly love is a medieval European literary conception of love that emphasizes chivalry, admiration, and the idealization of the beloved, often expressed in a socially acceptable manner. This theme became central in literature and influenced many narratives, especially within the context of romantic relationships and the dynamics of knighthood.
Everyman: Everyman is a significant allegorical figure in medieval literature, representing the common human experience and the universal journey towards death and salvation. This character is central to morality plays, which emerged during the late Middle Ages, highlighting moral lessons through the struggles between good and evil, as well as the importance of personal accountability in the face of mortality.
Frame narrative: A frame narrative is a story that contains within it one or more other stories, creating a structure where the outer narrative sets the stage for the inner tales. This technique allows for multiple perspectives, themes, and voices to emerge, enhancing the richness of the overall narrative experience.
Geoffrey Chaucer: Geoffrey Chaucer was an English poet and author, widely regarded as the Father of English literature, who lived during the late 14th century. His works reflect the historical and cultural context of the Middle Ages, showcasing the development of the Middle English language and influencing various literary trends and genres of his time.
Le Morte d'Arthur: Le Morte d'Arthur is a Middle English prose work written by Sir Thomas Malory, chronicling the legendary stories of King Arthur, his knights, and the quest for the Holy Grail. This work is pivotal in shaping Arthurian legend, showcasing key themes of chivalry, loyalty, and the tragic fall of Camelot while also representing significant literary trends of the time.
Metrical romance: Metrical romance refers to a narrative poem that typically tells a story of adventure, love, and chivalry, composed in verse form. These poems often incorporate elements of courtly love and heroic quests, reflecting the values and ideals of medieval society. Metrical romances were popular during the Middle English period, showcasing a blend of folk tales, historical events, and the supernatural, which appealed to both the nobility and common people.
Middle English Dialects: Middle English dialects refer to the various regional forms of the English language that were spoken and written in England from the late 11th century to the late 15th century. These dialects are important for understanding the historical and cultural shifts that influenced Middle English literature, as they reflect local identities and social changes during a time of significant linguistic evolution.
Middle English Phonology: Middle English phonology refers to the study of the sound system and pronunciation of the English language during the Middle English period, roughly from the late 11th to the late 15th century. This period was marked by significant changes in vowel and consonant sounds, which influenced the way literature was written and understood, impacting rhyme schemes, meter, and overall poetic forms.
Mystery plays: Mystery plays are a form of medieval drama that depict biblical stories and religious themes, often performed by local guilds in public spaces. These plays emerged during the 10th century and became popular in England by the late Middle Ages, reflecting the cultural and historical context of the time, including the rise of towns and the growing importance of community identity.
Pearl: In the context of Middle English literature, 'pearl' refers to a 14th-century alliterative poem that explores themes of loss, redemption, and the nature of the afterlife through a dream vision. It is one of the most significant works attributed to the anonymous Pearl Poet and showcases a blend of religious devotion and complex emotional depth, reflective of major literary trends and genres of the period.
Piers Plowman: Piers Plowman is a Middle English allegorical poem by William Langland, composed in the late 14th century. It reflects the social and religious issues of its time through the journey of the protagonist, Will, as he seeks Truth and explores themes of moral virtue, social justice, and the role of the Church.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a 14th-century Middle English romance that tells the story of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table, who accepts a challenge from a mysterious Green Knight. This tale reflects various elements of chivalry, honor, and the complexities of human nature, while also showcasing the evolution of the Middle English language and literary style.
Social criticism: Social criticism is the practice of critiquing societal norms, values, and structures in order to highlight issues of injustice, inequality, and moral failings. In the context of Middle English literature, this term plays a significant role as authors use their works to reflect on and challenge the social hierarchies, cultural practices, and political systems of their time, often employing satire and allegory to convey their messages.
The alliterative revival: The alliterative revival refers to a significant literary movement in Middle English literature that emerged during the 14th century, characterized by the resurgence of alliterative verse, a poetic form that relies on the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. This movement marked a departure from the more established rhyme schemes of the time, embracing a style reminiscent of Old English poetry. The alliterative revival is notable for its connection to national identity and its reflection of the cultural shifts occurring in England during the late medieval period.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English that records the history of the Anglo-Saxons from the earliest times to the 12th century. This work is significant as it provides insight into early medieval England, chronicling important events, cultural shifts, and the evolution of the English language and literature, all of which are crucial to understanding major literary trends and genres during the Middle English period.
The Book of Margery Kempe: The Book of Margery Kempe is considered one of the first autobiographies in the English language, written in the early 15th century by Margery Kempe, a mystic and laywoman from King's Lynn. This work offers a unique insight into the spiritual experiences and inner life of a medieval woman, while reflecting major literary trends such as mysticism, spiritual autobiography, and vernacular literature during the Middle English period.
The Canterbury Tales: The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 14th century, framed within a narrative of a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. This work not only reflects the social and cultural fabric of medieval England but also showcases the evolution of the Middle English language and its literary traditions.
The Golden Legend: The Golden Legend is a collection of hagiographies, or biographies of saints, compiled by Jacobus de Voragine in the 13th century. This influential work played a significant role in shaping medieval literature and religious thought, as it provided detailed accounts of the lives and virtues of various saints, which were often read in churches during the liturgical calendar. The collection exemplifies the blending of religious devotion with narrative storytelling, reflecting the era's fascination with miraculous events and moral lessons.
The influence of the church: The influence of the church during the Middle English period refers to the significant role that the Christian Church, particularly the Catholic Church, played in shaping various aspects of society, culture, and literature. This influence was evident in the moral, ethical, and spiritual guidance provided by the church, which permeated all levels of life and directly impacted literary expression, themes, and genres during this time.
The Norman Conquest: The Norman Conquest refers to the invasion and occupation of England by the Normans, led by Duke William of Normandy, in 1066. This event significantly transformed the social, political, and cultural landscape of England, paving the way for new literary trends and genres in Middle English literature that reflected the merging of Anglo-Saxon and Norman cultures.
The Nun's Priest's Tale: The Nun's Priest's Tale is one of the stories from Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales,' featuring a humorous fable about a rooster named Chanticleer and his encounter with a cunning fox. This tale highlights themes such as the nature of deception, pride, and the consequences of gullibility, all while employing elements of allegory and satire that were prevalent in Middle English literature.
The Prioress's Tale: The Prioress's Tale is a narrative poem from Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales' that tells the story of a Christian child who is murdered by Jews for singing a hymn to the Virgin Mary. This tale reflects themes of innocence, religious devotion, and anti-Semitism, making it a significant piece within the context of Middle English literature and its exploration of social issues and moral lessons.
The rise of the vernacular: The rise of the vernacular refers to the increasing use of local languages for literary and scholarly expression, as opposed to Latin, during the Middle English period. This shift allowed a wider audience to access literature and ideas, reflecting social changes and a growing sense of national identity. The vernacular began to flourish in various genres, paving the way for the development of distinct national literatures.
The Showings of Julian of Norwich: The Showings of Julian of Norwich is a medieval Christian text, also known as 'Revelations of Divine Love,' which documents the mystical experiences and visions of Julian of Norwich, an English anchorite. This work is significant for its theological insights and its exploration of concepts such as divine love, suffering, and redemption, reflecting the broader trends of mysticism and spirituality in Middle English literature.
William Langland: William Langland was a 14th-century English poet best known for his allegorical poem 'Piers Plowman', which explores social and spiritual themes through a series of dream visions. His work captures the historical and cultural changes of the time, reflecting the tensions between social classes and the moral concerns of medieval society.
York Mystery Plays: The York Mystery Plays are a collection of medieval plays that dramatize the biblical stories from creation to the Last Judgment, originally performed by the city of York in England. These plays were a significant part of the religious and cultural life during the Middle Ages, showcasing a blend of biblical narrative and local traditions, while also reflecting the moral and social values of the time.