ENGLISH LITERATURE UPTO 1590 – NORMAN CONQUEST

ENGLISH LITERATURE UPTO 1590 – NORMAN CONQUEST

English Literature up to 1590 – The Norman Conquest and Its Impact

The Norman Conquest of 1066 marked a turning point in English literature, introducing profound linguistic and cultural changes. With William the Conqueror's victory at Hastings, Anglo-Saxon England came under Norman rule, bringing Latin and Anglo-Norman French influences that gradually transformed Old English into Middle English.

Before the Conquest, Old English literature (e.g., Beowulf, The Wanderer) was characterized by alliterative verse and Germanic heroic themes. After 1066, French became the language of the aristocracy, courts, and literature, while Latin remained dominant in religious and scholarly works. This trilingual society (English, French, Latin) led to a blending of traditions, enriching English vocabulary and literary forms.

Key literary developments included:

Chronicles and Histories – Latin works like The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (continued post-Conquest) and Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136) preserved England’s past while blending myth and history.

Romance and Chivalry – French-inspired romances, such as The Song of Roland and later Middle English works like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, introduced courtly love and knightly ideals.

Religious and Didactic Texts – Moral instruction flourished in works like Ancrene Wisse and The Owl and the Nightingale, reflecting both piety and intellectual growth.

By the 14th century, English re-emerged as a literary language, culminating in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The Norman Conquest thus reshaped English literature, merging Anglo-Saxon, French, and Latin traditions to create a dynamic, evolving canon that paved the way for the Renaissance.