1. OLDEST RECORD: BEOWULF CULTURE in OLD ENGLISH Composed around the 6th or 7th century EPIC POEM OLD ENGLISH POETRY French romances records culture (values and myths) and civilization of a people after Beowulf and the Norman conquest (1066) the only surviving Manuscript dates around the 1000 year Memorisable Language (use of repetitions, refrains and rebus) handed out from generation to generation. ANGLO-SAXON CULTURE A hero is a person who dies for an ideal celebrates a hero’s deeds Composed by bards and scoops

2. The cultural Background (Late 4th C.-1485) Christian anglo-Saxon culture Before the advent of Christianity : The Anglo-Saxon culture was oral (art of speech) Great artistic skills for decorating weapons, jewellery and every day objects (Sutoon Hoo treasure) Music was spread by the bards (itinerant or stationary musicians)

3. After the coming of christianity: Introduction of the christian moral values The culture became written Old English was enriched with Latin words. Development of the religious architecture: Churches, abbeys and monasteries were built. Monasteries became important centres of culture. Monastic schools gave education to priest and nobles, the great majority of ordinary people were illiterate. Foundation of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge (12th C.) Books were written and by hand by the clergy (in monasteries) Christian Art was introduced with devotional wall paintings and manuscripts’s decoration Sacred music (monodic), importance of minstrels (court musicians)

4. Culture under King Alfred the Great Organization of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles (the first example of English prose) Foundation of schools and development of translation from latin into English Introduction of the Norman style (Cathedrals of Durham and Canterbury) Polyphonic music

5. Culture after the Norman Conquest (1066): English intellectual life was influenced by France Many spoken languages: French among the nobility and at court, Latin among the clergy and diplomacy, English among the ordinary people and also italian. Art used to record scenes and incidents of everyday life (Bayeux Tapestry and the East Anglian psalters) Gothic style (imported from France) English literature stopped until the year 1200; In the 13th century was favoured the French form of the romance and French litterature also influenced the poetic form