Early European Literature

European LiteratureMary Lenz CruzWinnie Mae SilvaDominique Valentine FrogosoSean Patrick DagaLeonard Jason ParfanMarvin Guerrero

BSIT - 1Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent but has the second-largest population. The landscape ranges from the frozen tundra and forests of the north to the hot, dry hills of the Mediterranean region. Vast fertile grasslands stretch between the mountains of the Alps in the west and the Ural Mountains in the east, which separate Europe from Asia. Europe is a crowded continent, with over 40 different countries, and international conflicts in the past century have often erupted into war. Today, the majority of people live in cities and many enjoy a high standard of living, thanks to their countries abundant natural resources, successful agriculture, and modern industries.

EUROPEFacts about EuropeTotal land area:4,053,309 sq miles (10,498,000 sq km)Total population:696 millionNumber of countries:43Largest country:Russian Federation (European section) 1,527,341 sq miles (3,955,818 sq km)Smallest country:Vatican City 0.17 sq miles (0.44 sq km)Largest country population:Russian Federation (whole country) 143 millionLargest lake:Ladoga, Russian Federation 7,100 sq miles (18,390 sq km)Longest river:Volga, Russian Federation 2,290 miles (3,688 km)Highest point:Elbrus, Caucasus Mountains, Russian Federation 18,510 ft (5,642 m)

Dark ages & Middle ages/medieval Literature

Dark Ages

As the Western Roman Empire became weakened because of the ills within it, barbaric tribes swarmed into it. These long years after the end of the western Roman Empire referred to the Dark Age.

Europe slipped backward almost into savagery.

Why the Dark Ages?Petrarch, who was born in Arezzo in Tuscany, northern Italy, in 1304, was able to look back over almost a thousand years to what many historians have classed as the greatest disaster ever to afflict Europe: the end of the Roman Empire which had been an oasis of civilization for five hundred years before it was swamped by barbarian invaders during the 5th Century AD.

What was Lost During the Dark Ages?

The darkness which then descended on Europe was to lasted for some eight or nine hundred years.The Dark Ages was not simply a poetic name designed to stir the imagination. It was an appropriate description of the immense loss Europe and Europeans suffered as Roman law and order broke down and the safety and security ofPax Romana, the Roman Peace, gave way to danger and uncertainty.

Statues were destroyedConstantine---Emperor of Rome from A.D.312 to 337; encouraged the spread of Christianity.

(Dark Ages)The End of Safeguards

All safeguards disappeared once the Roman Army ceased to be the powerful disciplined force which had once conquered a great empire. Instead, the Army became weak, torn by rivalries among its officers.Effectsno longer prevent the Vandals from plundering Rome in 455AD cant stop other tribal leaders from flooding into the Empires territory German tribes such as the Suebi, Ostrogoths and Alani swarmed into Roman Spain, Gaul and Italy where they killed, robbed, enslaved and destroyed

The Invaders Settle DownThe raiders had not come just to raid and rob and then go home, taking their booty with them. In time, they settled in the fertile, well-developed lands which offered them a better life than they could have in their own, home, territory.

However, the Anglo-Saxons had no use for the elegant Roman towns many of which became deserted. The once well-kept gardens became overgrown with weeds. The fountains in town streets which had once flowed with fresh water became dried up and dirty.

Coloseums were also abandoned.As the years went by, abandoned Roman towns decayed even further. People from nearby villages took away stones, pillars or pieces of metal and wood as building materials for cowsheds and other structures.

MIDDLE AGESPeriod of gloom was followed by the period middle ages, which extended from the 5th to 15th century.

Dark AgesMiddle AgesIt represents the gradual but steady and laborious progress of civilizationIn this period, the church was rising into power and authority. Practically all intellectual pursuits and activities took place in the monasteries

Christianity Spreads to Northern EuropeAs the Roman Empire fell, various groups from the north and east moved into former Roman lands. As they moved in, these groups created their own states. The rulers of these states, usually powerful warlords, began to call themselves kings. These kings often fought among themselves and as a result, by the early 500s Europe was divided into many small kingdoms.

These kingdoms marked the beginning of the Middle Ages, a period that lasted from about 500 to about 1500. We call this time the middle ages because it falls between ancient times and modern times. Another name for the Middle Ages is the medieval (mee-DEE-vuhl) period, from the Latin words for middle age.

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, many of the kingdoms of northern Europe were not Christian. Christianity was only common in places that had been part of the Roman Empire, such as Italy and Spain. As time passed, however, Christianity slowly spread farther north. This spread was largely through the efforts of two groups of Christiansmissionaries and monks.

Literatures of EuropeEpicEpicThe literature of civilized Europe is believed to have begun with the epic literature of the middle ageEpics are part of the oral literature which, later, was written down.

Epic is inseparable from the idea of grandeur, it is inferred purely as an individual can be the proper subject of an epic. A hero remains an individual although he rises above the average human stature; but a hero becomes an epic hero when he represents something greater than himself- a nation, a race, a faith.

They also reflect the life of and civilization of a heroic age and reveal the influence of Christianity.EPICA narrative in verse full of warlike adventures.

Four major Epics in Europe:

German- NibelungenliedFrance- Song of RolandSpain- El CidItaly- Divine ComedyFAMOUS

EUROPEWRITERSFROMHOMER (8th/9th Century BCE)

TheIlyiadandOdysseyare two of the most important epic poems in western history, both having a profound effect on thedevelopment of written arts and culture.

Sophocles (496 406 BCE)

A well educated man from a wealthy family, Sophocles served several roles in Athenian society, including a role as a military commander. He also wrote plays, entering and winning the drama element of the Dionysian festival possibly over 20 times, more than esteemed contemporaries. His field was tragedies, of which only seven full length pieces survive, includingOedipus the King, referenced by Freud when discovering the Oedipus complex.Aristophanes (c.450 c. 388 BCE)

An Athenian citizen who wrote during the era of the Peloponnesian War, Aristophanes work constitutes the greatest surviving body of ancient Greek comedies from one person

Virgil (70 18 BCE)

Virgil was regarded as the best of the Roman poets during the Roman era, and this reputation has been maintained. His most famous, albeit unfinished, work is theAeneid, the story of a Trojan founder of Rome, written during the period of Augustus reign. His influence has been felt widely in literature and, as Virgils poems were studied in Roman schools, by children.Horace (65 8 BCE)

The son of a freed slave, Horaces early career saw him commanding units in the army of Brutus, who was defeated by future Roman emperor Augustus.Dante Alighieri (1265 1321 CE)

A writer, philosopher and political thinker, Dante wrote his most famous work while in exile from his beloved Florence, forced out by his role in the politics of the day.The Divine Comedyhas been interpreted by each successive age in a slightly different way, but it has greatly influenced popular depictions of hell, as well as culture, and his decision to write in Italian rather than Latin helped prompt the spread of the former language in the arts.Giovanni Boccaccio 1313 1375

Boccaccio is best known as the author of theDecameron, an earthy and tragic-comic look at life which, because it was written in vernacular Italian, helped raise the language to the same level of regard as Latin and Greek. Shortly after completing theDecameronhe changed to writing in Latin, and less known today is his work in humanist scholarship during the period. Together with Petrarch he is said to have helped lay the ground work the Renaissance.

Geoffrey Chaucer c. 1342 / 43 - 1400

Chaucer was a talented administrator who served three kings, but it is for his poetry which he is best known.The Canterbury Tales, a series of stories told by pilgrims en route to Canterbury, andTroilus and Criseydehave been hailed as some of the finest poetry in the English language before Shakespeare, written as they were in the vernacular language of the country rather than Latin.

Miguel de Cervantes 1547 1616

In Cervantes early life he enrolled as a soldier and was kept prisoner as a slave for several years until his family raised a ransom. After this he became a civil servant, but money remained a problem. He wrote in many different fields, including novels, play, poems and short stories, creating his masterpiece inDon Quixote. He is now regarded as the main figure in Spanish literature, andDon Quixotehas been hailed as the first great novel.

William Shakespeare 1564 1616

A playwright, poet and actor, Shakespeares work, written for the company of a London theatre, has seen him called one of the worlds great dramatists. He enjoyed success in his lifetime but has gone on to ever greater and wider appreciation for works likeHamlet,MacbethorRomeo and Juliet, as well as his sonnets. Perhaps strangely, although we know quite a lot about him, there is a constant current of people who doubt he wrote the works.