EN 2250 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Socalled, Jousting, Pearl Poet
8 Dec 2015
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
First proof of poetry written down in the english language. *norman invasion normans conquer england (major shift) Normans are culturally french; impose the french language at court (ruling classes speak french) English language evolves to reflect new cultural influences: emergence of middle english . Literature reflects taste of anglo-norman courts because those people are buying the literature. Belongs to the last of three categories, drawing on arthurian legend. Poem (verse romance) dates from late 14th century (ca. 1375-1400) Only one ms copy survives; bond with three other poems thought to be y the same author (pearl, patience, purity); almost nothing known about the poet himself except for what the poem itself reveals. Writer of these poems often referred to as the pearl poet . Middle english dialect belongs to a specific region (northwest midlands of england), second half of 14th c. Poem central to alliterative revival in the literature of north/north- western england around this time.
