Flashcards on History of English Literature: Origins to Pre-Romanticism
History of English Literature: Origins to Pre-Romanticism
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English Medieval Literature
67 cards
Card 1
Question: When did Old and Middle English prose develop, and what was its main influence?
Answer: It developed in the late 9th century and was strongly influenced by Latin.
Card 2
Question: Who is considered the most significant figure in early Anglo-Saxon prose, and what did he do?
Answer: King Alfred the Great (reigned 871–899); he translated and initiated didactic translations, such as Pastoral Care (Cura Pastoralis).
Card 3
Question: What was the main purpose of Anglo-Saxon prose compared to poetry?
Answer: Its purpose was teaching and instruction, often in the form of translations; it was not as original as poetry.
Card 4
Question: Which of Alfred's works inspired further translations and chronicles?
Answer: Alfred's translation of Pastoral Care (Cura Pastoralis) inspired further translations and works like the Ecclesiastical History and the Anglo-Saxon Ch
Card 5
Question: What does the period of Monastic Revival (Benedictine Reform) represent, and what genre predominated during it?
Answer: A period about a century later, when the best Anglo-Saxon prose was produced; religious genres predominated: sermons, legends, and biblical translatio
Card 6
Question: Who were the two most significant figures in religious prose during the Benedictine Reform, and what are they known for?
Answer: Wulfstan (d. 1023) — Bishop of London/Archbishop of York, known for his sermons (Sermon to the English); Aelfric (c. 955–1020) — author of Catholic Ho
Card 7
Question: What was the impact of the Norman Conquest (1066) on English literature?
Answer: English literary production was excluded from the main centers of power; the ruling languages became Norman French (secular administration) and Latin
Card 8
Question: What is the Domesday Book, and when was it created?
Answer: A geographical and tax record from 1086, compiled after the Norman Conquest.
Card 9
Question: How did the vocabulary of Old English change after contact with the Normans, and what is the period 1150–1350 called?
Answer: Contact with the Normans expanded the vocabulary of Old English; the period 1150–1350 is referred to as Early Middle English.
Card 10
Question: What is Brut, and why is it important in Early Middle English poetry?
Answer: Brut is a verse chronicle about mythical Britain, written around 1200 by the priest Layamon; it is the first significant attempt at serious English po