Halleck's New English Literature Part 14

Jusserand's _Piers Plowman_.

Warren's _Langland's Vision of Piers the Plowman, Done into Modern Prose_.

Savage's _Old English Libraries_.

Schofield's _Chivalry in English Literature_.

Snell's _The Age of Chaucer_.

Root's _The Poetry of Chaucer_.

Tuckwell's _Chaucer_ (96 pp.).

Pollard's _Chaucer_ (142 pp.).

Legouis's _Chaucer_.

Coulton's _Chaucer and his England_.

Lowell's _My Study Windows_ contains one of the best essays ever written on Chaucer.

Mackail's _The Springs of Helicon_ (Chaucer).

SUGGESTED READINGS WITH QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

Romances.--The student will be interested in reading from Lawrence's _Medieval Story_, Chapters III., _The Song of Roland_; IV., _The Arthurian Romances_; V., _The Legend of the Holy Grail_; VI., _The History of Reynard the Fox_. Butler's _The Song of Roland_ (_Riverside Literature Series_) is an English prose translation of a popular story from the Charlemagne cycle. _Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight_ has been retold in modern English prose by J.L. Weston (London: David Nutt). A long metrical selection from this romance is given in Bronson.[41] I., 83-100, in _Oxford Treasury_, I., 60-81, and a prose selection in _Century_, 1000-1022.

Stories from the Arthurian cycle may he found in Newell's _King Arthur and the Table Round_. See also Maynadier's _The Arthur of the English Poets_, and Tennyson's _The Idylls of the King_.

Geoffrey of Monmouth's _History of the Kings of Britain_ is translated in Giles's _Six Old English Chronicles_ (Bohn Library).

Selections from Layamon's _Brut_ may be found in Bronson, I.; P. & S.; and Manly, I.

What were the chief subjects of the cycles of Romance? Were they mostly of English or French origin? What new elements appear, not found in Beowulf? Which of these cycles has the most interest for English readers? How does this cycle still influence twentieth-century ideals? In what respect is the romance of _Gawayne_ like a sermon?

What Shakespearean characters does Geoffrey of Monmouth introduce? How is Layamon's _Brut_ related to Geoffrey's chronicle? Point out a likeness between the _Brut_ and the work of a Victorian poet.

Ormulum, Lyrics, and Robert Manning of Brunne.--Selections may be found in P. & S.; Bronson, I.; Oxford (lyrics, pp. 1-10); Manly, I.; Morris's _Specimens of Early English_. Among the lyrics, read specially, "Sumer is i-c.u.men in," "Alysoun," "Lenten ys come with love to toune," and "Blow, Northern Wind."

What was the purpose of the _Ormulum_? What is its subject matter?

Does it show much French influence?

What new appreciation of nature do the thirteenth-century lyrics show?

Point out at least twelve definite concrete references to nature in "Lenten ys come with love to toune." How many such references are there in the _Cuckoo Song_?

What difference do you note between the form of Robert Manning of Brunne's _Handling Synne_ and Anglo-Saxon poetry? Can you find an increasing number of words of French derivation in his work?

Prose.--Manly's _English Prose_, Morris's _Specimens of Early English_, Parts I. and II., Chambers, I., Craik, I., contain specimens of the best prose, including Mandeville and Wycliffe. Mandeville's _Travels_ may be found in modern English in Ca.s.sell's _National Library_ (15). Bosworth and Waring's edition of the _Gospels_ contains the Anglo-Saxon text, together with the translations of Wycliffe and Tyndale. No. 107 of Maynard's _English Cla.s.sics_ contains selections from both Wycliffe's _Bible_ and Mandeville's _Travels_.

What is the subject matter of the _Ancren Riwle_? What is the keynote of the work? Mention some words of French origin found in it. What is the character of Mandeville's _Travels_? Why was it so popular?

In what does Wycliffe's literary importance consist? Compare some verses of his translation of the _Bible_ with the 1611 version.

Piers Plowman and Gower.--Selections are given in P. & S.; Bronson, I.; Ward, I.; Chambers, I.; and Manly, I. Skeat has edited a small edition of _Piers the Plowman_ ("B" text) and also a larger edition, ent.i.tled _The Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman, in Three Parallel Texts_. G.C. Macaulay has a good volume of selections from Gower's _Confessio Amantis_.

What is the difference between the form of the verse in _Piers Plowman_ and _Handling Synne_? Who is Piers? Who are some of the other characters in the poem? What type of life is specially described? In what sort of work are the laborers engaged? Why may the author of _Piers Plowman_ be called a reformer?

Why was Gower undecided in what language to write? What is the subject matter of the _Confessio Amantis_?

Chaucer.--Read the _Prologue_ and if possible also the _Knightes Tale_ (Liddell's, or Morris-Skeat's, or Van d.y.k.e's, or Mather's edition). Good selections may be found in Bronson, I.; Ward, I.; P.

and S., and _Oxford Treasury_, I. Skeat's Complete Works, 6 vols., is the best edition. Skeat's _Oxford Chaucer_ in one volume has the same text. The _Globe Edition of Chaucer_, edited by Pollard, is also a satisfactory single volume edition. Root's _The Poetry of Chaucer_, 292 pp., is a good reference work in connection with the actual study of the poetry.

Give a clear-cut description of the six of Chaucer's pilgrims that impress you most strongly. How has the _Prologue_ added to our knowledge of life in the fourteenth century? Give examples of Chaucer's vivid pictures. What specimens of his humor does the _Prologue_ contain? Do any of Chaucer's lines in the _Prologue_ show that the Reformation spirit was in the air, or did Wycliffe and Langland alone among contemporary authors afford evidence of this spirit? Compare Chaucer's verse with Langland's in point of subject matter. What qualities in Chaucer save him from the charge of cynicism when he alludes to human faults? Does the _Prologue_ attempt to portray any of the n.o.bler sides of human nature? Is the _Prologue_ mainly or entirely concerned with the personality of the pilgrims? Has Chaucer any philosophy of life? Are there any references to the delights of nature? Note any pa.s.sages that show special powers of melody and mastery over verse. Does the poem reveal anything of Chaucer's personality? In your future reading see if you can find another English story-teller in verse who can be cla.s.sed with Chaucer.

FOOTNOTES TO CHAPTER II:

[Footnote 1: _The Tempest_, V., I.]

[Footnote 2: For the location of all the English cathedral towns, see the _Literary Map_, p. XII.]

[Footnote 3: and.]

[Footnote 4: April.]

[Footnote 5: little.]

[Footnote 6: in her language.]

[Footnote 7: Spring.]

[Footnote 8: in its turn.]

[Footnote 9: birds.]

[Footnote 10: song.]

[Footnote 11: sigh.]

[Footnote 12: sorely.]

[Footnote 13: called.]

[Footnote 14: against.]

[Footnote 15: will.]

[Footnote 16: them.]