Medieval British Literary History/ Medievalism/ (Years are more or less accurate, but not days or months)
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Romans over Britain
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Britons and Anglo-Saxons. Britons pushed A.S.'s away for a while. King Arthur may have fought in the battle
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Live of Gildas (Hagiography)--Involved King Arthur
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Norse
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Welsh monk wrote Historia Brittonum
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Norman-French led by William he Conqueror, against Anglo-Saxons led by Harold. William won and began Norman Conquest
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Text: HIstory of the Kings of Britain (1136)
Pseudo-historical account of British History, first record of King Arthur as English monarch -
Text: Roman de Brut (1155)
Takes history of Britain back to Rome, mentioned King Arthur
Based on History of the Kings of Britain -
(late 1100s-early 1200s)
Text: Brut (1190)
Turns Wace’s piece into Middle English--Alliterative revival. -
A civil war that started when King Henry I’s only legitimate son, William, died
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(late 1100s-early 1200s)
Texts: Knight of the Cart (Lancelot), Percival (late 1100s)
Knight of Cart: Lancelot, abduction of Guinevere, first text with love affair between the two -
Text: Brut (1190)
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Poems by Marie de France
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(late 1100s-early 1200s) Robert de Boron
Texts (1200s)
Joseph: Explains the Holy Grail and how England is connected to Christ
Prose Merlin: How Merlin came to be
Suite de Merlin: Merlin in later life/how he died -
Text: The Romance of Tristan, Cantare on the Death of Tristan (around 1240)
Romance: Medieval Romeo and Juliet
Death: How Tristan died (flags on the ship) -
Forced King John to sign
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Green Knight representative of perpetual mortality.
Sir Gawain’s sin was wanting to save his own life--kept the girdle instead of giving it up--wasn’t trusting in Christ and in the honor--afraid enough to not keep his word. Don’t be like Sir Gawain, trust in Christ (that’s why it’s mixed in with other religious stories in preacher’s book. -
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Between Plantagenet and Valois over succession to the throne. Valois won, made Pl. weak.
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Texts: “Canterbury Tales General Prologue, “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale”
Remarkably egalitarian for its time, telling stories of upper and lower classes at the same time. -
Texts: Le Morte Darthur (maybe “Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady” (aka “The Marriage of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle”)) (mid 1400s)
How Arthur died
Wrote in response to the Wars of the Roses. -
A series of wars between two branches of the House of Plantagenet: Lancaster (red rose) and York (white rose). The Lancasters won and Henry VII took over (married Elizabeth of York) MONARCHS : Edward I -> Edward II -> Edward III -> Richard II (grandson) -> Henry IV (cousin) -> Henry V (son) -> Henry VI (son) -> Edward IV (York, cousin)-> (Edward V and Richard, sons)-> Richard III (Brother/Uncle) -> Henry VII (not really related, and that’s the end of the War of the Roses) -> Henry VIII
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Started with Henry VII (descended from mother who was from House of Lancaster) until Elizabeth died without an heir.
Henry VII claimed lineage back to Arthur through Welsh line of stepfather. Married Elizabeth of York and joined the houses of Lancaster and York, creating the House of Tudor. -
Text: Defense of King Arthur (1544)
Leland writes a defense of Arthur (historical evidence) by visiting all the Welsh places that claim he was there or that he is still there and will come back
First to record tradition of Cadbury Castle as Camelot--found “Evidence” of Arthur and Grail myth Britain. -
Texts: The Faerie Queene (1596)
Revisionist mythology for England
Allegory
King Arthur: magnificence
Virtues: knights
Vices/antagonists: Catholics
Una: Protestant
Duessa: Catholicism (dual nature, a distraction for the hero) -
James I of Scotland takes the throne after the War of the Roses. This house ends with Anne who is pregnant 19 times but has no surviving heirs.
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German royal dynasty that became monarchs in Britain (in 1714) and ruled until the death of Queen Victoria
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Fight over the kind of government England wanted. Ended with the execution of King Charles I, exile of Charles II, and Oliver Cromwell being declared Protectorate of England. (remember, this is all about Catholics vs. Protestants and Cromwell was THE Protestant)
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Started with execution of Charles I and lasted until his son (Charles II) took the throne. Cromwell didn’t want a Catholic on the throne (Charles II)
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Example of Romanticising Camelot and the knights of Camelot.
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Era in British History of prosperity and expansion; the height of the British empire. There was a huge revival of medievalism during this era.
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Poem about the two brothers who end up killing each other. Example of the Arthurian revival during the Romantic era.
The emphasis here, as in the Tale itself, is upon Balen's deeds and his innocence. In this last truly important Victorian medievalist poem, the good knight's various attempts to cleanse and regenerate an irretrievably corrupt world are ineffectual. -
-revival of King Arthur stuff and medieval artistic practice (1848-1854)
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Texts: The Waste Land (1922)
Title is a reference to The Fisher King stories; poem itself mentions the grail and a man finishing in a river.
Lots of references to Arthurian mythology as a metaphor for the West -
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Text: The Sword in the Stone (1938)
The Once and Future King Cycle--defined Arthur mythology for the early 20th century