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1. Old English Literature

Generally speaking, this period lasts from 449A.D. to 1066 and it witnessed the making of the England. After the Roman withdrawal, from 449 three tribes form Northern Europe invaded Britain: Jutes, Angels and Saxons. Small kingdoms established by them were gradually combined into one united kingdom: the land of angels, England. The dialects gradually grew into a single language called Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, which is the basis of Modern English. English literature began with the Anglo-Saxon settlement in England. They brought a specific poetic tradition. The most important poem is The Song of Beowulf, the national epic of English people. The Anglo-Saxon period experienced a transition from tribal society to feudalism.

Ⅰ.Anglo-Saxon Conquest

In the ancient times, there were three tribes called Angles, Saxons and Jutes in the northern Europe. In the 5th century, they conquered Britain and settled down there. After driving the native people into the deep mountains of Wales and Scotland, they divided the whole island among themselves. Angles settled in the east midland, and built the kingdom of East Angles. Saxons took the southern part of the island and set up some small kingdoms as Wessex, Essex and Sussex. Jutes occupied the southeastern corner of the island. Gradually seven kingdoms arose in Britain. By the 7th century, these small kingdoms were combined into a united kingdom called England.

Angles, Saxons and Jutes usually known as Anglo-Saxons are the first Englishmen. Language spoken by them is called the Old English, which is the foundation of English language and literature. With the Anglo-Saxon settlement in Britain, the history of English literature began.

Ⅱ.Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Literature

Anglo-Saxon literature, that is, the Old English literature is almost exclusively a verse literature in oral form. It could be passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. Its creators for the most part are unknown. It was only given a written form long after its composition.

There were two groups of English poetry in Anglo-Saxon period. The first group was the pagan poetry represented by Beowulf, the second was the religious poetry represented by the works of Caedmon and Cynewulf.

In the 8th century, Anglo-Saxon prose appeared. The famous prose writers of that period were Venerable Bede and Alfred the Great.

Ⅲ. Anglo-Saxon Poetry

1. Pagan Poetry

    The pagan poetry, also called secular poetry, does not contain any specific Christian doctrine but emphasizes on the harshness of circumstance and the helplessness of humans before the power of fate. Beowulf is the representative work.

Beowulf

Beowulf is the oldest poem in the English language, it is the most important specimen of Anglo-Saxon literature; and also the oldest surviving epic in the English language. It consists of more than 3,000 lines. It was originally in an oral form, sung by the minstrels at the end of the 6^th century. It had been passed from mouth to mouth for hundreds of years before it was written down in the tenth century or at the end of the ninth century.The manuscript was discovered in 1705. The main stories are based on the folk legends of the primitive northern tribes. Through the description of the fights with the monsters, we see it is essentially concerned with the heroic ideal of kings and kingship in Northern Europe: courage and strength, wisdom. Beowulf is shown not only as a grand hero, but also as a savior of the people.

A. Story:

Hrothgat, king of the Danes, has built near the sea a mead-hall called Heorot. It is the most splendid hall in the world. Every night the king and his thanes gather there to feast and enjoy the songs of his gleemen. But then misfortune befalls them. One night, after they have gone to sleep, a frightful monster called Grendel comes, breaking into the hall, and killing thirty of the sleeping warriors, and then carrying off their bodies to devour them in his lair under the sea. The appalling visit speedily repeats, and fear and death reign in the great hall. The warriors fight at first, but flee when they find that no weapon can hurt the monster. The splendid mead-hall is left silent. For twelve winters Grendel’s horrible raids continue; and joy is changed to mourning among the Danes.

Beowulf is the nephew of Hygelac, king of the Geats who live in Juteland, Denmark. When he hears that Hrothgat is in great trouble, he crosses the sea with 14 soldiers to rid Hrothgar of the monster. After they get there, they are given a feast of welcome, and then they lie down in the hall for the night. At midnight, Grendel comes and kills one of Beowulf’s comrades. Beowulf has a hand-to-hand fight with him. Finally he wrenches off one of the monster’s arms. Then the monster flees to his din to die.

The next night, Grendel’s mother descends upon the hall to avenge her son. She carries away the king’s dearest friend. In the morning, Beowulf pursues her into her lair and slays her with a sword wrought by the giants. When he finds the corpse of Grendel, he cuts off his head and brings it back in triumph. The Danes award him many treasures, and Beowulf returns to his uncle.

Later on, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats and reigns over his people for 50 years. Then a fire-spewing dragon begins to devastate the land of his kingdom, because somebody has stolen a cup from a mountain cave, which the dragon has guarded for 300 years. Therefore the angry dragon determines to punish the people of the kingdom. With 11 chosen thanes the aged king goes to the dragon’s mountain to fight with it. As a result, the dragon is killed, but Beowulf is severely wounded during the fight. He dies a heroic death. The poem ends with the funeral of the hero.

B. Writing Features of the Poem

1) It is not a Christian but a pagan poem, despite the Christian flavor given to it by the monastery scribe. (p3~4) It is the product of all advanced pagan civilization. The whole poem presents us an all-round picture of the tribal society and Christian culture. The social conditions and customs can be seen in it. So the poem has a great social significance.

2) The use of the strong stress and the predominance of consonants are very notable in this poem. Each line is divided into two halves, and each half has two heavy stresses.

3) The use of the alliteration is another notable feature. Three stresses of the whole line are made even more emphatic by the use of alliteration.

4) A lot of metaphors and understatements are used in the poem. For example, the sea is called "the whale-road" or "the swan road"; the soldiers are called "shield-men"; human-body is referred to as "the bone- house" ; God is called "wonder-wielder " ; monster is referred to as "soul-destroyer".

2. Religious Poetry

The religious poetry is also called Christian poetry. It is mainly on biblical stories and saints’ lives. But sometimes there is a mixture of Christian and pagan ideas in these poems. It is represented by Caedmon and Cynewulf.

1) Caedmon (610-680)

Caedmon is the first known religious poet of England. He is known as the father of English song. His life story is vividly described in Bede's Historic Ecclesiastica. The book tells us that Caedmon, a humble and unlearned man, tends cattle for an abbey on the Yorkshire coast. One night, at a feast, when songs are called for, he steals out quietly, because he feels ashamed that he can contribute nothing to the entertainment. Then he lies down in the cowshed to sleep. In his sleep, he hears a voice asking him to sing. "I can't sing, " he says, "and that is why I left the feast and came here." "Nevertheless," says the mysterious voice, "You shall sing to me." "What shall I sing?" asks Caedmon. "Sing me the song of creation." Then Caedmon sings a song which is his first poem, called The Hymn of Praise. Later on, Caedmon composed many other poems by using the biblical material.

2) Cynewulf and His Poems

Cynewulf lived in the early 9th century. Except the unknown composer of Beowulf, he is regarded as the greatest Anglo-Saxon poet. Of his life we know very little. He was probably an ecclesiastic and a scholar. His name remained unknown until 1840.

He produced four poems: Christ, Juliana, The Fates of the Apostles, and Elene.

Of all these poems the most characteristic is The Christ, which is a didactic poem in three parts: the first part celebrates the Nativity; the second part describes the Ascension; and the third part deals with Doomsday.

Cynewulf took his subject matter partly from the church liturgy, more largely from the homilies of Gregory the Great. Throughout the poem, a deep love for Christ and reverence for Virgin Mary are expressed.

Ⅳ. Anglo-Saxon Prose

Prose literature did not show its appearance until the 8th century. There were two famous prose writers: Venerable Bede and Alfred the Great.

1. Venerable Bede (673-735)

When we speak of the Old English prose, the first name that comes into our mind is Venerable Bede, who is the first scholar in English literature and has been regarded as Father of English learning. His works, over forty in number, written exclusively in Latin, cover the whole field of human knowledge of his day.

The most important of his works is The Ecclesiastical History of the English People. The book not only tells us how religion was introduced and spread in England but also recounts some historical events of that period and Anglo-Saxon mythological legends. It must be pointed out that the man who first described Caedman's legendary life story is Bede.

2. Alfred the Great (848-901)

Alfred the Great, king of Wessex kingdom, is another important figure in prose writing of Anglo-Saxon period. During his reign, he tried every means to improve the state of education, such as founding colleges, and importing teachers from Europe. He was a well-known translator. He translated some important Latin works into English. But of his works, the most important is The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. This book records the main happenings of the Anglo-Saxon period. It is the best monument of the Old English prose.

Chapter 2  Middle English Literatur

I. Historical Background

1. The Norman Conquest

In 1066, William, the energetic Duke of Normandy, invaded England with his strong army. A fierce battle was, fought near Hastings between the English and the Norman armies. As the English were divided , they lost the battle and their leader Harold was killed. Thus, William, the Conqueror, became the King of England.

2. The Consequence of the Conquest

The Norman Conquest brought England more than a change of rulers. Politically, a feudalist system was established in England; religiously, the Rome-backed Catholic Church had a much stronger control over the country; and great changes also took place in languages. After the conquest, three languages co-existed in England. Old English was spoken only by the common English people; French became the official language used by the King and the Norman lords; and Latin became the principal tongue of church affairs and was used by the clergymen and scholars in universities. The conquest opened up England to the whole European continent, so that with the introduction of the culture and literature of France, Italy and other European countries, a fresh wave of Mediterranean civilization came into England.

Ⅱ. The Middle English Literature

1. A Brief Survey

This period covers about four centuries. In the early part of the period, from 1066 up to the mid-14th century, there is not much to say about literature in English. It is almost a barren period in literary creation. But in the second half of the 14th century, English literature starts to flourish with the appearance of writers like G. Chaucer, W. Langland, J. Gower, and others. In comparison with Old English literature, Middle English literature is uttered by more voices, deals with a wider range of subjects and is in a greater diversity of styles, tones and genres.

Popular folk literature also occupies an important place in this period. Its presentation of life is not only accurate but also in a lively and colorful way, though the originality of thought is often absent in the literary works of this period. Besides, the Middle English literature strongly reflects the principles of the medieval Christian doctrine, which are primarily concerned with the issue of personal salvation. An emphasis has also been placed on the humanity of Christ and the imagery of human passion. Love has largely superseded fear; and explorations into undiscovered regions of the heart offer fresh possibilities for introspection.

2. Medieval Romance

Romance, which uses narrative verse or prose to sing knightly adventures or other heroic deeds is a popular literary form in the Middle Ages. It has developed the characteristic medieval themes of the quest, the forest, the garden, the test, the meeting with the evil giant and the encounter with the beautiful beloved. The hero is usually the knight, who sets out on a journey to accomplish some goals -- to protect the church and the poor, to attack infidelity, to rescue a maiden, to meet a challenge, or to obey a knightly command. The code of manners and morals of a knight is known as chivalry. There is often a liberal use of the improbable, sometimes even supernatural things in romance such as mysteries and fantasies; romantic love is an important part of the plot in romance; characterization is standardized, so that heroes, heroines and wicked stewards can be easily moved from one romance to another; the structure is loose and episodic; the language and style are simple and straightforward. The importance of romance itself can be seen as a means of showing medieval aristocratic men and women in relation to their idealized view of the world. If the epic reflects a heroic age, the romance reflects a chivalric one. The romance prospered for about 300 years (1200-1500). It was written for the noble class, so it had nothing to do with the common people.

1) Essential Features of the Romance

The romance was the prevailing form of literature in the Middle Ages. It was a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventures of a noble hero=a knight. Its essential features are:

a. It lacks general resemblance to truth or reality.

b. It exaggerates the vices of human nature and idealizes the virtues.

c. It contains the adventures more or less remote from ordinary life.

d. It lays emphasis on devotion to a fair lady.

e. The central character of the romance is the knight, a man of noble birth, skilled in the use of weapons. He is commonly described as riding forth to seek adventures, or fighting for his lord in battle. He is devoted to the church and the king.

2) Romance Cycles

The enormous number of the romances fall into three cycles or three groups: the “matters of Britain”, the “matters of France”, and the “matters of Rome”.

a. The matters of France deal largely with the exploits of Charlemagne, often known as Charles the Great, King of Frank and Emperor of the West Empire. The famous romance of this group is Chanson de Roland.

b. The Matters of Rome deal with tales from Greek and Roman sources. Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.), King of Macedonia and conqueror of Greece, Egypt, India and Persian Empire is the favorite hero of this group. Besides this, Trojan War is also dealt within this group.

c. The matters of Britain mainly deal with the exploits of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. The most interesting of all Arthurian romances are those of the Gawain cycle. The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the culmination of the Arthurian romances.

3) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

It is a verse romance of 2530 lines, derived from Celtic legend.

A. Story:

On New Year’s day, King Arthur and his knights are holding a feast. A giant in green enters the banquet hall on horse back with a battle axe in his hand. This big man comes to challenge any knight in the hall to give him a blow with the battle-axe. The condition is that a return stroke be permitted a year later at the Green Chapel. There isn’t any knight who dares to accept the challenge. Seeing that, the king is very angry, and wants to accept the challenge. Just then, the King’s nephew Gawain stands up and takes up the challenge. With one blow he sends the giant’s head rolling through the hall. Then the Green Knight, who is evidently a terrible magician, picks up his head and mounts his horse. He holds out his head and the ghastly lips warn Gawain to be faithful to his promise and to seek through the world till he finds the Green Chapel, where on next New Year’s day, the Green Knight would meet him and return the blow.

A year has passed. Sir Gawain goes to look for the Green Chapel and the Green Knight. He goes through a lot of difficulties and adventures on his way. But he can not find the chapel and the knight.

On Christmas Day, he loses his way in a forest. Then he offers prayers to Mary for help: After the prayers, a great castle appears on hill before him, he enters the castle and is warmly entertained by the host and hostess. Gawain is told that the Green Chapel is not far away. He decides to have a rest in the castle.

Gawain stays there for three days. The host makes a compact with him. According to the compact, the host goes out hunting each day, Gawain stays in the castle to entertain the beautiful hostess, and in the evening they should exchange what they has got during the day.

On the first day, the host goes out to do hunting, Gawain stays in the castle. The beautiful hostess tries to induce Gawain to make love to her, but is refused. She gives Gawain a kiss. In the evening, when the host returns, he gives his guest the game he has killed, and Gawain returns him the kiss, which he has got from the hostess. On the second day, Gawain also receives a kiss, and he gives it back to the host when he comes back. On the third, the lady offers Gawain a ring, and Gawain refuses to accept it. Then the hostess gives him a magic green girdle and tells him that the girdle would preserve him from death if he wears it. Gawain accepts the girdle and promises to the lady not to tell anything about it. When the host comes back in the evening, Gawain returns the kiss he has got from the hostess but he does not say anything about the girdle.

Three days later, the host takes Gawain to the Green Chapel. As soon as they get there, the host disappears and Gawain is left alone. He finds that the chapel is a terrible place. When he approaches it, he hears a terrifying sound. Obviously the green giant is sharpening his new axe. Then the Green Knight comes out from the chapel with an axe, and Gawain offers him his neck for the blow. Twice he is harmless, and the third time the axe falls upon his shoulder and he gets slightly wounded.

Then the Green Knight tells Sir Gawain that he is none other than the host of the Castle where Gawain stayed for three days. He says that the first two swings of the axe did not harm Gawain because he was true to his compact and twice returned the kiss. The last blow wounded him because he concealed the green girdle. Full of shame, Gawain throws back the gift and ready to atone for his deception. The Green Knight thinks that he has already atoned, so presents the girdle to him as a gift.

When Gawain comes back to his kingdom, his story becomes widely known. In order to remember this event forever, King Arthur orders each of his knights to wear a green girdle.

This romance is one of the most delightful old romances in any language. In form, it is an interesting combination of French and Saxon elements. It is written in an elaborate stanza combining alliteration. At the end of each stanza there is a rimed refrain.

B. Theme and Motif

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the most accomplished example of medieval romance and a poem of rich psychological and moral interest. The unknown author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was Chaucer’s contemporary, but his alliterative verse form was old fashioned even in his own day, and his dialect, that of Northwest England, is also very difficult for the modern readers.

The brief summary of the action of the poem reveals that it is concerned with the rights and wrongs of conduct. Its theme is a series of tests on faith, courage, purity and human weakness for self-preservation. The story presents a profoundly Christian view of man’s character and his destiny. By placing self-protection before honor, and deceit before his trust in the love of God, Gawain has sinned and fallen and become an image of Adam. Human excellence is marred by original sin and courtly values alone are no protection. Though Gawain can hope to be excused, the girdle itself remains a perpetual reminder of his weakness. There is a very clear structure in the poem with a prologue, an epilogue and its main body. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is undoubtedly a romance told with the purpose of portraying ideal character in action. With a preference for irony, suggestion and implication, the unknown author tries to make his romance the vehicle of a wise morality in which the humorously grotesque merges with the morally serious.

3 Popular Ballads

1) Introduction

Popular ballads are originally dance songs. They are little stories in verse form, and they can be sung or recited by the common people. The origin of the English and Scottish ballads is obscure. Usually they are anonymous, and are handed down orally for many generations. They are created collectively by the people and are constantly revised, either consciously or unconsciously, in the process of being handed down. So there are many variant forms of popular ballads.

Ballads are simple and crude in story and highly condensed and dramatic in presentation. In the fifteenth century, there were several kinds of ballads: historical, legendary, fantastical, lyrical and humorous. Popular ballads were found all over Europe, but a particularly fertile soil was the border area, for once many bloody battles were fought between the English and Scots there.

2) Ballads of Robin Hood

The most famous cycle of English ballads centers on the stories about a legendary outlaw called Robin Hood. In English history, Robin Hood is partly a real and partly a legendary figure. The ballads tell us that he lived during the reign of Richard I. He was the leader of a band of outlaws, and they lived in the deep forest. They often attacked the rich, waged war against the bishops and archbishops, and helped the poor people. Therefore, Robin Hood and his followers were constantly hunted by the sheriffs.

Ⅲ. Middle English Prose

Thomas Malory is the only important prose writer in the fifteenth century. He wrote an important work called " Morte d'Arthur" (Death of Arthur) in a prison cell. The charges against him ranged from extortion, robbery, and cattle rustling, to "Way-laying the Duke of Buckingham". It is possible, however, that few of the crimes were real. He was, after all, a Lancastrian in a time of Yorkist ascendancy, and the law is ever a ready weapon to those in power. In fact, in 1468 when two general amnesties were declared by King Edward VI, Malory, unlike the other prisoners in jail at the time, was not set free. This may indicate that Malory had been singled out as a particular enemy by the Crown because of his opposing role in the Wars of the Roses.

Morte d' Arthur

Malory's tale begins with the mysterious birth of Arthur and ends with his equally mysterious death. The central concern is with the adventures of Arthur and his famous Knights of the Round Table. The knights fight many battles and win glory, all of which is a credit to the name of King Arthur. Near the end of the story, however, the tide of good fortune turns. Launcelot, one of Arthur's knights, falls in love with Arfhur's queen, Guinever, and the lady returns his love. One by one the other knights become discontented, selfish, or disillusioned. Thus weakened, the kingdom is attacked by force under Sir Mordred, Arthur's treacherous nephew, and ultimately it goes down in defeat. Arthur is borne away on a barge by three mysterious ladies of the Lake.

Morte d'Arthur was written in a time of transition. The feudal order was dying. By the time Malory began writing his story, soldiers were fighting with gunpowder, a middle class of tradesmen was arising; and the practices of chilvalry were being superseded by a new aristocratic code. Malory, in a desire to escape the disorder and uneasiness of his day, tried to recapture lost ideals of the romantic past as recounted in his tale of noble kings, adventurous knights, and damsels in distress.

This book is very important in English literature. Its Arthurian materials have a strong influence on literature of later centuries.

Everyman

In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual[1][2], with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances. The name derives from a 15th century English morality play called Everyman.
The contemporary everyman differs greatly from his (or her) medieval counterpart in many respects. While the medieval everyman was devoid of definite marks of individuality to create a universality in the moral message of the play, the contemporary storyteller may use an everyman for amoral, immoral, or demonstrative purposes.

Christian in Pilgrims Progress
Roger Thornhill in North by Northwest[3]
Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Ted Mosby in the comedy series How I Met Your Mother[4][5]
Jim Halpert/Tim Canterbury in the TV series The Office
The narrator of the novel Fight Club and the film adaptation
Mick Travis in O Lucky Man!
Rhys Williams in Torchwood [6]
Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four
Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters
Stan Marsh in South Park
Xander Harris in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Homer Simpson in The Simpsons
Theo Faron in "Children of Men

Ⅳ. William Langland

1. Introduction

William Langland was born in the western midland of the country, living from about 1330 to about 1400. He was educated in the school of a monastery at Malvern. After school he took minor orders, but never rose in the church. Then he moved to London and made a scanty living by singing masses, copying legal documents and doing other odd jobs. In 1362, he began his famous poem, which had been repeatedly revised, and of which three texts have been left to us. It was written in the old alliterative verse: each line contained three alliterated words, two of which were placed in the first half, and the third in the second half.

2. Piers the Plowman

The poem describes a series of wonderful dreams the author dreamed. Through these dreams, we can see a picture of the life in the feudal England. In the first dream, the author saw a fair field full of people. There were the rich and the poor, workers and idlers, nobles and merchants, unworthy priests, pardoners and jesters. All classes were there. The workingmen were industriously employed in ploughing and sowing in order that the idlers might waste the fruits of their labor.

The author also saw all sorts of parasites. First there were the bishops and deacons. Instead of preaching to their flocks, they became the clerks of the law court. Rule of the Church was given to the cardinal who possessed no cardinal virtues at all. There were also other religious idlers called friars, monks, hermits, and the like. All of them told lies to the people, but a lot of money came into their pockets.

In his dream, the author also noticed a group of rats rush upon the scene. They discussed how to get rid of a court cat. One rat proposed that their enemy should be killed. But a mouse pointed out that, even if the cat was killed, another would come in its place. So at last, all of the rats agree “Let that Cat Be”. Through the story of the rats, the author exposed the ruling class and summed up the political situation of the time.

In the next dream, the author saw Lady Bribery, who was the incarnation of the corruption of the ruling class, and the enemy of Truth. Lady Bribery was to be married to a False Fickle Tongue. Through the allegory of her marriage, every rank and condition of men connected with the royal and ecclesiastical court is brought under the lash. The King was enraged at the news. And Lady Bribery was asked by the King to wed Conscience. But when Conscience was called to the court, he flatly refused to marry the lady and set forth her whole manner of life. Conscience said that Bribery corrupted the judges, and made it difficult for the poor to get justice. She released the guilty, threw the just into prison, and hanged the innocent; and she was privy with the Pope, and let priests live in secret concubinage. When Lady Bribery was asked to defend herself against these charges, she made an extremely cunning speech. She showed how necessary the intervention of her was in all the relations of life, between master and servant, King and subject, buyer and seller. Conscience exposed her fallacies point by point. He said there were two kinds of bribery, one the just reward for service, the other the price of misdoing. What laborers received was not bribery, but wages; in merchandise, there was not bribery, but exchange. Lady Bribery had no argument to offer but a misquotation from the Scriptures. She said Solomon declared that they that gave gifts won the victory and obtained honour. But Conscience at once reminded her that she had left out the last part of the text: "He that giveth a gift shall have honour, but the soul of them that receive it is bound thereby. " Finally, the King bade them to be reconciled. Here we can see clearly that the poet tried to lash the corruption of the society with the whip of a satirist. And he also described the hard life of the poor peasants and showed sympathy to them. The next part of the poem describes the pilgrimage of the people in search for Truth.

In the confusion, Lady Holy Church appeared. She encouraged all the people to seek Truth, the best thing in the world. But the people declared that they would never find the way without a guide, whereupon appeared to the scene the hero of the poem, Piers the plowman. Piers was a simple and honest peasant. Before leading the people on their pilgrimage, he said that he must first have his half acre of land ploughed. So he set all the pilgrims to work. He explained to the people that the best way in search for Truth was to take part in labour. In this part, the author praised the dignity of honest labour. He considered that the peasants were the nearest to Truth.

This poem is considered one of the greatest English poems of medieval times. It’s written in the alliterative verse and takes the form of dream vision, describing a scene of feudal England. Dream vision is a favorite device in medieval poetry. This poem satirizes corruption among the clergy and secular authorities, depicts the miseries and suffering of the needy and upholds the dignity and value of labor, personified by Piers Plowman. It is a realistic picture of medieval England. 

3. Artistic Features of the Poem

1) Piers the Plowman is written in the form of a dream vision. The author tells his story under the guise of having dreamed it.

2) The poem is an allegory, which relates truth through symbolism.

3) The poet uses indignant satire in his description of social abuses caused by the corruption prevailing among the ruling classes, ecclesiastical and secular.

4) The poem is written in alliteration.

23) The poem begins in Malvern Hills, Worcestershire, with a poet who falls asleep and has a vision of a tower set high upon a hill and a fortress lying deep in a valley. The tower represents Heaven and the fortress represents Hell. Between both places is a 'field full of folk' representing the world where man lives.the poem is--

I) Piers the Plowman

II)Needle

III)Ralph Roister Doister

IV)Everyman

        Ans-I) Piers the Plowman

75. The narrator of Piers Plowman falls

asleep on

(A) the Mendip hills

(B) the Purbeck hills

(C) the Malvern hills

(D) the Cheviot hills

        Ans-(A) the Mendip hills

11. Identify the correct statement below :

(A) Gorboduc is a comedy, while

Ralph Roister Doister and

Gammer Gurton’s Needle are

tragedies.

(B) Gorboduc is a tragedy, while

Ralph Roister Doister and

Gammer Gurton’s Needle are

comedies.

(C) All of them are problem plays.

(D) All of them are farces.

            Ans-(B) Gorboduc is a tragedy, while

Ralph Roister Doister and

Gammer Gurton’s Needle are

comedies.