Middle English literature
Quick Summary
Middle English literature refers to the body of written works produced in England between approximately 1100 and 1500 CE. This period saw English evolve from Old English into Modern English, navigating a complex linguistic landscape where Latin and Anglo-Norman French were also prominent. Despite challenges like the Black Death and various wars, English literature flourished, marked by a significant linguistic and literary revolution around 1350-1400.12345
Key developments include:
* Poetry: The alliterative movement waned, while courtly poetry, focusing on love and sentiment, gained prominence, especially under royal patronage. Writers like Geoffrey Chaucer were instrumental in establishing English as a literary language.3
* Prose: While religious prose continued, secular prose emerged and grew, with significant works like The Voyage and Travels of Sir John Mandeville and Le Morte Darthur by Sir Thomas Malory. The Brut chronicle also played a role in shaping national identity.4
Middle English literature encompasses a range of genres, from romances and ballads to historical chronicles and personal letters.45
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- prosodyThe Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages little of importance was added to actual prosodic theory. In poetic practice, however, crucial developments were to have important ramifications for later theorists. From about the second half of the 6th century to the end of the 8th…
Read MoreDuring the Middle Ages little of importance was added to actual prosodic theory. In poetic practice, however, crucial developments were to have important ramifications for later theorists. From about the second half of the 6th century to the end of the 8th…
Read More 
tragedyThe long hiatus…of life, and the word tragedy again came into currency. Geoffrey Chaucer used the word in Troilus and Criseyde, and in The Canterbury Tales it is applied to a series of stories in the medieval style of de casibus virorum illustrium, meaning “the downfalls (more or less inevitable) of princes.”…
Read More…of life, and the word tragedy again came into currency. Geoffrey Chaucer used the word in Troilus and Criseyde, and in The Canterbury Tales it is applied to a series of stories in the medieval style of de casibus virorum illustrium, meaning “the downfalls (more or less inevitable) of princes.”…
Read More