Eras in Literature: Middle Ages AP English Lit

Medieval Lit – Big Questions What makes a true hero? Who really shapes society? Does fate control our lives? Can people live up to high ideals?

Medieval Era (400’s-1500’s) Anglo-Saxon Poets Characteristics Frequent use of alliteration Kenning – compound that uses figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Example: grand viðar “bane of wood” = “fire” Caesura – midline pause Works of Note Epic Poem of Beowulf (anonymous) “The Wife’s Lament”(anonymous)

Medieval Era (400’s-1500’s) Medieval Narratives Work of Note: The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Characteristics Series of stories, each told by a different pilgrim traveling from London to Canterbury, England. The stories reflect the unique personalities and the social status of the speaker. Distinguishes between the frame story (the pilgrims) and the tales they tell. Use of irony – while calling attention to his characters’ faults, he affirms their essential humanity.

Medieval Era (400’s-1500’s) Medieval Romance Characteristics: Dramatic verse or prose narrative that usually involves adventurous heroes, idealized love, exotic places, and supernatural events Develops the values of chivalric code, privileges the upper-class Works of Note Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory

English Renaissance Poetic Forms Pastoral Sonnet Represents shepherds in idealized rural settings, yet they use courtly speech. Typically have metrical patterns and rhyme schemes that help give them a musical quality Sonnet 14 line poem with rhyme scheme and meter (typically iambic pentameter) Variations: Italian/Petrarchan Sonnet (Octave + Sestet) abbaabba cdecde English/Shakespearean Sonnet (3 Quatrains + Couplet) abab cdcd efef gg Spenserian Sonnet (3 Quatrains using interlocking rhyme scheme + Couplet) abab bcbc cdcd ee