【正文】 old English was spoken only by the mon English people. The Medieval English Literature ? With the Norman Conquest starts the medieval period in English literature, which covers about four centuries( from 1066 up to the mid14th century) ? Middle English literature deals with a wider range of subjects, is uttered by more voices and in a greater diversity of styles, tones and genres. ? Popular folk literature also occupies an important place in this period. ? Middle English literature strongly reflects the principles of the medieval Christian doctrine, which were primarily concerned with the issue of personal salvation. Romance ? Romance which used narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the medieval period. ? Hero: usually the knight, a man of noble birth, skilled in the use of weapons, who sets out on a journey to acplish some goal—to protect the church and the king, to attack infidelity, to rescue a maiden, to meet a challenge, or to obey a knightly mand. ? Romantic love is an important part of the plot in romance. Characterization is standardized. The structure is loose and episodic, the language is simple and straightforward. ? It contains perilous adventures more or less remote from ordinary life, even describes supernatural things. ? If the epic reflects a heroic age, the romance reflects a chivalry one. The great majority of the romances fall into three cycles : the matters of Britain ( adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table), and the matters of Frances (Emperor charlemagne and his peers), and the matters of Rome (Alexander the great and so forth) Romance Cycles Essential features of romance ? The romance was the prevailing form of literature in the Middle Ages. It was a long position, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventures of a noble hero, Its essential features are: 1. it lacks general resemblance to truth or reality. 2. It exaggerates the vices of human nature and idealizes the virtues. 3. It contains perilous危險(xiǎn)的 adventures more or less remote from ordinary life. 4. The central character of the romance is the knight, a man of noble birth skilled in the use of weapons. He is monly described as riding forth to seek adventures, taking part in tournaments, or fighting for his lord in battle. He is devoted to the church and the king. Geoffrey Chaucer (13401400) Father of English poetry /literature Chaucer’s literary career The French Period The first period refers to the period of French influence( 1359—1372). In this period he wrote in the manner of contemporary French poets. Among his original poems in his early period, the best known is The book of Duchess, an elegy written upon the death of the first wife of the poet’s patron John Gaunt. The Romance of Roses is a translation from a French poem Roman de la Rose. ? The second period refers to the influence of Italian, especially of Dante and Boccaccio (13721386). In this period, he chiefly used the ― heroic‖ stanza of seven lines. His main works in this period are three longer poem: The House of Fame, Troilus and Criseyde, The legend of Good Women. The Italian Period The third period refers to the period of maturity (13861400). In this period, he is no longer the interpreter of other poets. He has his own choice of subject and diction, his own grasp of plots and characters including The Canterbury Tales 坎特伯雷故事集 , which is purely English. The mature Period The Canterbury Tales ? Language: Middle English ? Time and place written: Around 13861395, England ? Date of first publication: Sometime in the early fifteenth century ? Narrator: The primary narrator is an anonymous, naive member of the pilgrimage, who is not described. The other pilgrims narrates most of the tales. ? Point of view: In the General Prologue, the narrator speaks in the first person, describing each of the pilgrim as they appeared to him. Though narrated by different pilgrims, each of the tales is told from an omniscient thirdperson point of view, providing the reader with the thoughts as well as actions of the characters. ? Tone: The Canterbury Tales incorporates an impressive range of attitude towards life and literature. The tales are by turn satirical, elevated, pious, earthy,