Part II The Anglo-Norman period

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1、TheLiteratureofAnglo-NormanPeriodRomanceTheConsequenceoftheNormanConquest•TheNormanConquestbroughtEnglandmorethanachangeofrulers.Politically,afeudalistsystemwasestablishedinEngland;religiously,theRome-backedCatholicChurchhadamuchstrongercontroloverthecountry;andgreatchangesalsotookplaceinl

2、anguages.Aftertheconquest,threelanguagescoexistedinEngland.OldEnglishwasspokenonlybythecommonEnglishpeople;FrenchbecametheofficiallanguageusedbytheKingandtheNormanlords;andLatinbecametheprincipaltongueofchurchaffairsandwasusedbytheclergymenandscholarsinuniversities.Bytheendofthe14thcentury

3、,whenNormansandEnglishintermingled,Englishwasoncemorethedominantspeechinthecountry.ButnowitbecamesomethingdifferentfromtheoldAnglo-Saxon.•TheconquestopenedupEnglandtothewholeEuropeancontinent,sothatwiththeintroductionofthecultureandliteratureofFrance,ItalyandotherEuropeancountries,afreshwa

4、veofMediterraneancivilizationcameintoEngland.II.Theliteraturefortheupperclass.TheprevailingformofliteratureinthefeudalEnglandwastheRomance.Romance(骑士文学)•Romanceistheliteraturefortheupperclass,whichwasalongcompositioninverseorprose,describingthelifeandadventuresofanoblehero.Itgenerallyconce

5、rnsknightsandinvolvesalargeamountoffightingaswellasanumberofmiscellaneousadventures.•1.EssentialfeaturesoftheRomance2.RomanceCycles1.EssentialfeaturesoftheRomance•a.Itlacksgeneralresemblancetotruthorreality.•b.Itexaggeratesthevicesofhumannatureandidealizesthevirtues.•c.Itcontainsperilousad

6、venturesmoreorlessremotefromordinarylife.•d.Itlaysemphasisonsupremedevotiontoafairlady.•e.Thecentralcharacteroftheromanceistheknight,amanofnoblebirth,skilledintheuseofweapons.Heiscommonlydescribedasridingforthtoseekadventures,takingpartintournaments,orfightingforhislordinbattle.Heisdevoted

7、tothechurchandtheking.•3.SirGawainandtheGreenKnight•Knight:originallymeantnomorethanahouseholdservant,livinginthelordshallandtoservehiminwar,andwhennecessarytofightfortheking.Later,thegreatbaronsgivelandstoknightsonconditionthattheyshouldbereadytofightwhencall