Medieval English Literature

Medieval English Literature includes the European writings from 500AD which marked the fall of Roman civilization to the 15th century [when the Renaissance started]. Medieval writers were hardly original. The reason behind this was that Catholic Church was the hub of learning at that time. Therefore, the works of the clerics dominated literature during that period. They retold the stories of the classical writers and fathers to warn the people and encourage them to adopt a pious life. They used symbols in their writings intensely because they thought that everything in this world was a sign of God. Therefore by concentrating on these symbols they could come closer to Him.

While talking about medieval literature it is impossible that we don't mention Geoffrey Chaucer. His Canterbury Tales depict the medieval society in a very picturesque and critical manner. People during the middle ages were extremely uncivilized and selfish. They were given to war and height of instability.

Moreover, medieval literature very realistically portrays the role of women in the society at that time. Women were not given much importance during the early medieval period. They were confined to their houses. Gradually women started struggling to get a place for themselves in the society. However, medieval literature showed such a woman a serious threat to the society. Works like Beowulf and The Book of Margery Kempre tried to establish that a woman's real place was her home and she should be restricted there.

Thus, medieval literature touches almost every topic from the religious to the secular. It marks the confusion and chaos of a society where it was impossible to differentiate between the right and the wrong. It holds a mirror to us and we can learn many lessons from it.

Why Study English Literature

Primarily, classical English literature referred to the study of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. However, in modern day times, its field of study has been expanded to include the whole of Mediterranean civilizations like North Africa and the Middle East.

Many people question as to why we should go through the boring history of our ancestors. They consider classical literature as irrelevant in the present day so called advanced world.

According to Aldus Huxley,
''The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consists in the fact that from age to age nothing changes, and yet everything is completely different.''

Thus, an insight into history through classical English literature enables us to understand the true jest of life. Classical English literature, as a matter of fact, throws light on every aspect of life, including religion, art, drama, science, geography, politics etc. Moreover, it holds a mirror to your inner-self. No matter how we become technologically advanced, our basic problems like economic, political and social pressures always remain a challenging issue.

Works of literature are done by some extremely sensitive intellectuals who can actually feel the true feelings of the common man of their times. He expresses his contemporary social and political dilemmas in such an extraordinary way that every soul is inclined to relate him to it. This enables him to work out a solution for his own problems. Likewise, study of classical English literature helps us to comprehend the true nature of man as to how he has evolved from the ancient times to the present day. It explains why man responds or reacts the way he does. This enables us to compare the values of our ancestors with our own and see if our society is moving in the right direction or not.