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Little indeed is known of the origin of English literature,though it is reasonable to assume that verse of an extemporary kind was composed long before the period of the earliest written records and that we can be certain that poetry made its appearance long before the first prose was written down.It is important from the outset to remember that the extant remains of old english literature have come down to us (for the most part)in late copies,some of which were made three hundred years after the composition of the poems themselves.so far as poets are concerned,again little or nothing is known beyond the names of two of them,but this not prevented some scholars from writing their 'lives',from hints in the texts themselves,fortified by scanty contemporary,most of which cannot be described as intelligent. Indeed ,the lengths to which critics will at times go is clearly indicated by the fact that one "old english poet" has been provided with a wife on no valid evidence whatsoever.Notwithstanding the mists which shroud the beginning and our lack of knowledge of the poets themselves, old English literature has a richness which amazes the reader who overcomes the initial difficulty of the language, and it is hoped that this richness will be seen even in the meagre summary which appears in the following pages.
THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The period is along one,for it opens in the fifth century and does not conclude,as is often supposed,with the Norman Conquest in 1066,but rather continues in prose at least till c.1150.The events,however,must be discussed briefly.The deparuture of the Romans in 410 left the british population open to the inroads of the invaders from the north.According to british traditions,the english from the continent came first as mercenaries to help in the defence against the picts and scots:but soon they began to settle in the country,and arachaeological evidence shows that certainly permanent settlements had been made in the last quarter of fifth century if not before.In the course of time,they gained possession of all the land from the english tribes,beginning in northumbria with the work of Irish missionaries,though the influence from rome begins in Kent(597).In succession followed the inroads of the danes in the ninth century:the rise of wessex among the early english Kingdoms with the important contribution of Alfred the great:the establishment of the Danelaw in england with the permanent settlement of Danes in the country:the accession of a Danish king (1017):and the Norman influence on the english court which began before the conquest in 1066.All these events had their effect on the literature of the period.
LITERARY FEATURES OF THE AGE
1.The Standardizing of English:
The period of transition is now nearly over.The English language has shaken down to a kind of average-to the standard of the east midland speech,the language of the capital city and of the capital city and of the universities.The other dialects,with the exception of the Scottish branch,rapidly melt away from literature,till they become quite exiguous.french and English have Amalgamated to form the standard English tongue,which attains to its first full expression in the works of Chaucer.
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