1. Origins of English Literature Roman Era to 1509
Dr. William J. Burling

2. Native Celtic cultures
Celtic, Druid tribes
Isolated from the continent
Unorganized tribal culture
Stonehenge

3. Early Periods of Development
Roman occupation ends ca. 410 CE
Series of invasions by Germanic tribes begins—Anglos and Saxons, ca. 450
Vikings arrive in 865, establish the Danelaw (northern and eastern England)
Unification of southern England (Wessex) under rule of Alfred the Great,
Danish invasion in 981 establishes new line of kings

4. Roman influence, 43-410 CE Founding of Londinium, 43 CE
Infrastructure, especially roads, links tribes
Influence of Roman law, art, and architecture
Importance of York
Bath

5. Hadrian’s Wall
Roman defense against the Scots, 130 CE

6. Germanic expansion

7. Germanic expansion Angle and Saxon invasions, ca. 450-550
Extensive linguistic influence

8. Norman period, 1066—1490s
Norman invasion in 1066, led by William the Conqueror
Influence of French language
Centralization of feudal government and church results in a court culture

9. William I ( )

10. Tower of London

11. Norman-era York, 13th century

12. Detail of Norman-era York
Clifford’s Tower
13th century

13. York today

14. Significant literary milestones
Beowulf
Canterbury Tales
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Everyman
Second Shepherd’s Play
Morte D’Arthur

15. Beowulf Oldest of the long poems in English
Composed sometime between 8th and 12th centuries
Grendel

16. Beowulf
Grendel’s mother

17. Beowulf manuscript at the British Library

18. Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer

19. Canterbury Cathedral

20. Beckett shrine Thomas Beckett Opposed the will of Henry II
Murdered in the cathedral (1170)

21. Mystery plays Often presented in “cycles”
York, Chester, N-Town, Towneley

22. Morality plays
The Castle of Perseverance
Single play performed

23. War of the Roses,
Warwick Castle

24. Transition to the Tudor era
Henry VII ( )
Defeated Richard III in 1485 at Bosworth to end the War of the Roses
United the houses of Lancaster and York
First Tudor monarch

25. Introduction of the Printing Press William Caxton, 1476

26. Ben Franklin’s Press (1725)

27. A New Era Begins
Henry VIII