Chapter I. |
The Beginnings |
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By A. R. WALLER, M.A., Peterhouse
- Characteristics of the earliest Poetry
- The Gleemen
- Theodore and Hadrian
- National Strife
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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II. |
Runes and Manuscripts |
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By A. C. PAUES, Ph.D., Upsala, Newnham College
- The National Germanic Alphabet
- Runes in Scandinavian and Old English Literature
- The Ruthwell Cross
- The Franks Casket
- The Roman Alphabet
- The Irish School of Writing
- Tablets, parchment, vellum, paper, pens, ink, and binding
- Scribes and scriptoria
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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III. |
Early National Poetry |
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By H. MUNRO CHADWICK, M.A., Fellow of Clare College
- Early National Poems the work of Minstrels
- Teutonic Epic Poetry
- Beowulf: Scandinavian Traditions; Personality of the Hero; Origin and Antiquity of the Poem; the Religious Element
- Finnsburh
- The Waldhere Fragments
- Widsith
- Deor
- The Wanderer
- The Seafarer
- The Wife’s Complaint
- The Husband’s Message
- The Ruin
- Religious Poetry of Heathen Times
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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IV. |
Old English Christian Poetry |
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By M. BENTINCK SMITH, M.A., Headmistress of St. Leonard’s School, St. Andrews
- Celtic Christianity
- Changes wrought by the New Spirit
- Caedmon’s Hymn
- Genesis, Exodus, Daniel
- Crist and Satan
- Cynewulf: His Personality
- Crist, Juliana, The Fates of the Apostles, Elene
- Andreas
- The Dream of the Rood
- Guthlac, The Phoenix, Physiologus, Riddles
- Minor Christian Poems
- The Riming Poem, Proverbs, The Runic Poem, Salomon and Saturn
- The Schools of Caedmon and Cynewulf
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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V. |
Latin Writings in England to the Time of Alfred |
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By MONTAGUE RHODES JAMES, Litt.D., Provost of King’s College
- Gildas and The History of the Britons
- “Hisperic” Latin
- Nennius and Historia Brittonum
- The Roman Mission to Kent and its results
- Aldhelm and his School
- Bede’s Ecclesiastical History
- Bede’s Letter to Egbert of York
- Alcuin
- Lives of Saints; Visions; Minor writings
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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VI. |
Alfred and the Old English Prose of his Reign |
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By P. G. THOMAS, M.A., Professor of English Language and Literature at Bedford College, University of London
- Asser’s Life of Alfred
- The Handbook and Pastoral Care
- Translations of Orosius and Bede
- Codes of Law
- De Consolatione Philosophiae
- The metres in Alfred’s Boethius
- Augustine’s Soliloquies
- The Chronicle
- Gregory’s Dialogues
- Works attributed to Alfred
- His Literary Achievement
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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VII. |
From Alfred to the Conquest |
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By JOHN S. WESTLAKE, M.A., Trinity College
- The Chronicle
- The Monastic Reform
- Blickling Homilies
- The Works of Aelfric
- Wulfstan
- Byrhtferth
- Lindisfarne, Rushworth, and West Saxon Glosses
- Legends of the Holy Rood
- Legends of the East
- Quasi-scientific works
- The Ballads and Poems in The Chronicle
- Judith
- The Battle of Maldon or Byrhtnoth’s Death
- Menologium
- Be Domes Daege
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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VIII. |
The Norman Conquest |
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By A. R. WALLER
- Dunstan
- The Coming Change
- The Wisdom of the East
- Lanfranc
- Anselm
- Norman Gifts
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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IX. |
Latin Chroniclers from the Eleventh to the Thirteenth Centuries |
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By W. LEWIS JONES, M.A., Professor of English Language and Literature at the University College of North Wales
- England and Normandy
- Characteristics of the Chroniclers
- The Northumbrian School of English Medieval History; Simeon of Durham
- Florence of Worcester
- Eadmer and Ordericus Vitalis
- William of Malmesbury
- Henry of Huntingdon
- Gesta Stephani
- Geoffrey of Monmouth
- William of Newburgh
- Benedict of Peterborough
- Richard Fitz-Neale
- Roger of Hoveden
- Ralph of Diceto
- Richard of Devizes
- Jocelin of Brakelond
- Giraldus Cambrensis
- Walter Map
- Matthew Paris
- Minor Chroniclers
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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X. |
English Scholars of Paris and Franciscans of Oxford
LATIN LITERATURE OF ENGLAND FROM JOHN OF SALISBURY TO RICHARD OF BURY |
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By J. E. SANDYS, Litt.D., Fellow of St. John’s College and Public Orator of the University of Cambridge
- The University of Paris
- English Scholars of Paris: John of Salisbury
- Peter of Blois
- Walter Map
- Other Writers of Latin
- Gervase
- Nigel Wireker
- Jean de Hauteville; Alain de Lille
- Geoffrey de Vinsauf; Alexander Neckam
- Joannes de Garlandia
- Giraldus Cambrensis
- Michael Scot
- Franciscans and Dominicans
- Franciscans of Oxford
- Alexander of Hales
- Robert Grosseteste and the Franciscans
- Adam Marsh
- Roger Bacon
- Duns Scotus
- William of Ockham
- Walter Burleigh
- Scholars of Oxford: John Baconthorpe
- Thomas Bradwardine
- Richard of Bury
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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XI. |
Early Transition English |
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By J. W. H. ATKINS, M.A., Professor of English Language and Literature at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, Fellow of St. John’s College
- The Proverbs of Alfred
- Poema Morale
- Literary Revolt of the 13th Century
- Ormulum
- Genesis and Exodus
- Hortatory Verse and Prose
- The Bestiary; An Bispel; Sawles Warde
- Hali Meidenhad; Lives of the Saints
- Ancren Riwle
- The Virgin Cult and Erotic Mysticism
- The Luve Ron
- Layamon’s Brut
- The Owl and Nightingale
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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XII. |
The Arthurian Legend |
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By W. LEWIS JONES, M.A., Professor of English Language and Literature at the University College of North Wales, Bangor, formerly Scholar of Queens’ College
- Early Welsh Tradition
- Nennius and Gildas
- Early Welsh Poetry
- The Mabinogion
- Kulhwch and Olwen
- Geoffrey of Monmouth
- Caradoc of Llancarvan
- The French Romances
- Wace
- Layamon
- Subsidiary Legends
- Merlin
- Gawain
- Lancelot and Guinevere
- The Holy Grail
- Tristram and Iseult
- Celtic Literature
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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XIII. |
Metrical Romances, 1200–1500: I |
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By W. P. KER, M.A., Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, Professor of English Literature, University College, London
- French Influences
- Benoit de Ste. More and Chrétien de Troyes
- Translators’ difficulties
- History of the English Romances
- Matter and Form
- The “matter of France,” “of Britain,” and “of Rome”
- Sources and Subjects
- Forms of Verse
- Traditional Plots
- Breton Lays
- Fairy Tales
- Sir Gawayne and Sir Tristrem
- The Tale of Gamelyn and The Tale of Beryn
- Relation of Romances to Ballads
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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XIV. |
Metrical Romances, 1200–1500: II |
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By J. W. H. ATKINS
- The Carolingian Element
- English Romances: Havelok, Horn, Guy of Warwick, Beves of Hamtoun
- The literature of Antiquity: Troy, King Alisaunder, Richard Cœur de Lion
- Oriental Fable: Flores and Blancheflour, The Seven Sages of Rome
- Celtic Romances
- The Gawain Cycle
- Ipomedon, Amis and Amiloun, Sir Cleges, Sir Isumbras, The Squire of Low Degree
- William of Palerne, etc.
- Anonymity of the work embodied in the Romances
- Qualities and Defects
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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XV. |
“Pearl,” “Cleanness,” “Patience” and “Sir Gawayne” |
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By I. GOLLANCZ, Litt.D., Christ’s College, Professor of English Language and Literature, King’s College, London, Secretary of the British Academy
- Sources and Metre of Pearl
- Cleanness and Patience
- Sir Gawayne and the Grene Knight
- Sources of Sir Gawayne
- The Question of Authorship
- Hypothetical Biography of the Poet
- Ralph Strode
- Huchoun of the Awle Ryale
- Erkenwald, etc.
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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XVI. |
Later Transition English
LEGENDARIES AND CHRONICLERS |
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By CLARA L. THOMSON
- Robert of Gloucester
- Thomas Bek
- The South English Legendary
- Northern Homilies and Legends
- The Northern Psalter
- Cursor Mundi
- Robert Mannyng of Brunne’s Handlyng Synne
- Characteristics of Mannyng’s style
- Mannyng’s Debt to Wadington
- Mannyng’s Chronicle
- The Medytacyuns
- William of Shoreham
- The Ayenbite of Inwyt
- Adam Davy
- Laurence Minot
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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XVII. |
Later Transition English
SECULAR LYRICS; TALES; SOCIAL SATIRE (Further chapters on Fugitive Social Literature of the 14th and 15th centuries will be found in Vol. II.) |
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By A. R. WALLER
- Middle English Lyrics
- The Proverbs of Hendyng
- The Deeds of Hereward
- The Land of Cokaygne
- Dame Siriz
- The Fox and the Wolf
- The Turnament of Totenham
- The Tale of Gamelyn
- Gesta Romanorum; John de Bromyarde; The Childhood of Jesus
- Political verses
- Songs of the Soil
- John Ball
- The Black Death
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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XVIII. |
The Prosody of Old and Middle English |
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By GEORGE SAINTSBURY, M.A., Merton College, Oxford, Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature in the University of Edinburgh
- Old English Verse
- The Transition
- Foreign Influence
- The Alliterative Revival
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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XIX. |
Changes in the Language to the Days of Chaucer |
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By HENRY BRADLEY, M.A., (Oxon.)
- Continuity of the English Language
- “English” and “Saxon”; Periods of English
- Changes in Grammar
- Old English Grammar; Changes in Declension
- Conjugation in Middle English
- Influence of the Norman Conquest
- Pronunciation and Spelling
- Middle English Spelling
- Development of Sounds
- Changes in Vocabulary
- Words adopted from French
- Scandinavian Words in English
- Loss of Native Words
- The Poetical Vocabulary
- English Dialects in the Fourteenth Century
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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XX. |
The Anglo-French Law Language |
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By the late F. W. MAITLAND, LL.D., Downing Professor of the Laws of England. (By permission of the Council of the Selden Society.)
- Retention of French in the Courts and the Making of Legal Terms
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