September 29, 2017

ENGLISH LITERATURE UPTO 1590 – MIDDLE ENGLISH ALLITERATIVE POETRY


ENGLISH LITERATURE UPTO 1590 – MIDDLE ENGLISH ALLITERATIVE POETRY


Middle English Alliterative Poetry (12th-15th Centuries)

The alliterative tradition represents one of the most distinctive and powerful strands of medieval English poetry, bridging the Old English heroic tradition and the Chaucerian revolution. This body of work flourished particularly in the 14th century, producing some of the most vigorous and inventive poetry of the Middle Ages.

1. Continuity and Revival

Following the Norman Conquest, alliterative verse—the dominant form of Anglo-Saxon poetry—survived in modified form:

Maintained the four-stress line with strong medial caesura

Relaxed strict alliterative patterns of Old English

Incorporated French vocabulary and themes

Flourished particularly in the West Midlands and North

2. Major Works and Characteristics

The 14th-century Alliterative Revival produced masterpieces blending traditional form with new sophistication:

a) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (c. 1380)

Combines Arthurian romance with moral allegory

Features intricate "bob and wheel" stanzas

Explores chivalric ideals through supernatural challenge

b) Piers Plowman (multiple versions, 1370-90)

William Langland's dream vision attacking clerical corruption

Uses alliteration for satirical punch and prophetic intensity

Mixes social critique with spiritual quest

c) Pearl (same manuscript as Gawain)

Elegiac dream poem with 12-line stanzas

Combines alliteration with complex rhyme schemes

Meditates on grief and divine grace

d) The Alliterative Morte Arthure

Epic treatment of Arthur's fall

Emphasizes tragic grandeur over romance

3. Technical Innovations

Later alliterative poets developed:

Greater metrical flexibility

Incorporation of rhyme (seen in Pearl)

Blending with continental forms

4. Decline and Legacy

By the 15th century, the tradition waned due to:

Chaucer's influence establishing rhyme royal and iambic pentameter

Shift toward London-based literary culture

Yet its rhythmic power influenced later poets like Hopkins and Auden

This body of work preserves a vital English poetic identity during French cultural dominance, showing remarkable artistic ambition in its fusion of native and continental traditions.