ENGL 202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Geoffrey Chaucer, Israelites, English Poetry
13 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
Idea of english is complex; language came to the island in a series of invasions. The britons (french) were conquered by the romans, then the anglo- In the 9th century ad, viking invasions - then 1066, norman conquest by the french. To make a more illustrious ancestry for themselves, in 12th century ad, a myth descended. It was believed their ancestors were the trojans. After the legendary city of troy was conquered, one trojan survived, went to italy and founded rome. But in the myth, another trojan actually survived who went to found. This was to unify england and to give them a classical and illustrious ancestry. At this beginning, england is a bunch of different tribes, with different languages, warring with each other. Alfred the great will unify them first, then the norman conquest will. Finally, the idea of great britain will unify them, but centuries later. Only really a sense in the 14th century with chaucer.
