English poetry

The history of English poetry stretches from the middle of the 7th century to the present day. Over this period, English poets have written some of the most enduring poems in European culture, and the language and its poetry have spread around the globe. Consequently, the term English poetry is unavoidably ambiguous. It can mean poetry written in England (and, by extension, the United Kingdom), or poetry written in English.

The Anglo-Norman period and the Later Middle Ages

With the Norman conquest of England, beginning in 1066, the situation of Anglo-Saxon altered for good. The language continued to be spoken and written at least up to the early 15th century, producing such important poems as Layamon's late 12th century epic Brut, the so called Gawain poet's Pearl, Patience, Cleanness, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and William Langland's magnificent Piers Plowman. However, Anglo-Norman became the language of political and legal power and of education. Given this state of affairs, remarkably little in the way of Anglo-Norman poetry of any note survives. Instead, the two languages merged over time to produce English and this language soon became the main vehicle for English poetry. In 1362, it also replaced French and Latin in Parliament and courts of law.

Related Topics:
Norman conquest - 1066 - Layamon - Gawain poet - Pearl - Patience - Cleanness - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - William Langland - Piers Plowman - Anglo-Norman - Anglo-Norman - 1362 - Latin - Parliament

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A number of early 14th century songs have survived in manuscripts including British Library Harley 2253. The first major poet in the new language was, however, John Gower. Born around 1330, Gower was a near contemporary of Langland. His Confessio Amantis is one of the key poems of the period. Gower's slightly younger contemporary, Geoffrey Chaucer, was probably the major English poet of the Middle Ages. Along with society of the time, he shared a European world view dominated by the Catholic Church and recently rediscovered Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle, as well as Latin Church Fathers including Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. In the realm of poetry, this landscape was dominated by Virgil and Dante. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is one of the few contemporary poems to bear comparison with Dante's Divine Comedy.

Related Topics:
British Library - John Gower - 1330 - Geoffrey Chaucer - Middle Ages - Catholic - Aristotle - Church Fathers - Augustine - Thomas Aquinas - Virgil - Dante

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The major English-born poets of the 15th century were John Lydgate, who is now best remembered for two works – Troy Book and The Siege of Thebes, and John Skelton. However, the century really belongs to a group of remarkable Scottish writers. The rise of Scottish poetry began with the writing of The Kingis Quair by James I of Scotland. The main poets of this Scottish group were Robert Henryson, William Dunbar and Gavin Douglas. Henryson and, especially, Douglas introduced a note of almost savage satire, which may have owed something to the Gaelic bards, while Douglas' version of Virgil's Aeneid is one of the early monuments of Renaissance literary humanism in English.

Related Topics:
15th century - John Lydgate - John Skelton - Scottish - James I of Scotland - Robert Henryson - William Dunbar - Gavin Douglas - Gaelic - Bard - Humanism

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