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LECTURE 10
XIV CENTURY LITERATURE
By the 14^th century, English language re-emerged as the dominant language and it was different from Anglo-Saxon Old English. It was known as Middle English.
Feudalism and chivalry are evident in much Middle English literature. The Church was highly influential in daily life of the Middle Ages and Middle English literature. Because the church and the concept of chivalry were dominant factors in the Middle Ages philosophy, these two ideas also appeared in literature.
Outbreaks of the plague, known as Black Death, affected both the everyday life and the philosophy of the Middle Ages. With these conditions, it’s not surprising that the people lived with a persistent sense of morality and understanding of the Church’s promise of Heaven. Some believed that all disabilities and plague were judgement for sin.
Religious literature appeared in several genres:

1. 
   Devotional books
   
2. 
   Hagiographies - stories of the saints’ lives
   
3. 
   Medieval drama.
   

Two forms of Medieval drama were mystery plays and morality plays.
In Britain, chivalric literature flowered in the medieval romance, a narrative presenting a knight and his adventures. The ideals of chivalry form the basis of King Arthur’s legends, the stories of King Arthur and his Knights of Round Table. Arthur was likely a Celtic/Roman leader who rejected Anglo-Saxons invading. However, King Arthur is a fictional figure of the later Middle Ages, the concepts of chivalry and country love were real. According to Medieval histories, King Arthur was the British leader who led the British army against the invaders in the 5th and 6th centuries. It is mainly folklore that led to the composition of the legendary King Arthur story. Some literary inventions have been made in the story, but the historical existence of King Arthur has always been questioned.
There exist a few historical sources, such as the Annales Cambridge, the Historica Brittonum and the writings of Gildas, which may be attributed as sources of the legend of King Arthur.
One of the major writers of the Middle Ages is the unidentified Pearl Poet. One of the major works of Pearl Poet is “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. This story shows features of paganism in a society dominated by Christianity. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” illustrates two concepts important to medieval nobility: chivalry and country love.