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Our starting point… Let’s brainstorm our ideas…

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Our starting point… Let’s brainstorm our ideas…

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"What is Literature?"...

"What is Literature for?",

"Why should we be dealing with Literature"?

"Is reading important to a Person's life?"

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Let's talk about Literature, analyse and promote our favourite Novels....

"What is Literature for?", "Why should we be dealing with Literature"? "Is reading important to a Person's life?"

...These are some billion-dollar questions we've been asking during our Literature classes....

The answers may be all extremely diverse and multifarious, but all of them are deeply thought provoking: and there's certainly one common idea that all of us agree on and want to share, that Literature has always been and still is definitely one of the 'basic needs' in the Lives of all Human Beings!

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"People live in the present. They plan for and worry about the future. History, however, is the study of the past. Given all the demands that press in from living in the present and anticipating what is yet to come, why bother with what has been? Given all the desirable and available branches of knowledge, why insist - as most educational programs do - on a good bit of history? And why urge many students to study even more history than they are required to?" - Peter N. Stearns.
Is knolwedge of historical events important for High School students, in your opinion? Why/Why not? How do you study History? Do you create maps? Do you write down notes? What is your strategy for learning History?

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The Wars of the Roses, (1455-85), in English history, is the series of dynastic civil wars whose violence and civil strife preceded the strong government of the Tudors. Fought between the houses of Lancaster and York for the English throne, the wars were named many years afterward from the supposed badges of the contending parties: the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster.

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Video and Note taking: Origins of English Drama

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Video and Note taking: Origins of English Drama

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Students watch the video and respond to the questions...

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For an in depth look at the history of theater around the world, check out TheatreHistory.com.
Check out a review of the highlights of different periods of theater history, including plays, acting styles, staging convention, costuming, and playwrights at this website.
Musicals, Broadway and New York City . . . they are forever linked, helping to define each other. How did a rough Dutch frontier trading post (where stage performances were forbidden) develop into the theatrical capital of the world?
Do some research:
Do an Internet search of some images of the Globe theater. How is the theater similar to the pageant and how is the Globe unique to itself? Compare the Globe Theatre to theaters of today.
Do an Internet search of Cuthbert Burbage to discover why and how the theater was moved and rebuilt as the Globe.
Watch " York Mystery Plays 2010 - an Introduction." After viewing, do you feel that you could fill one of the jobs required to create such a production? Explain what value this has historically or artistically?

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When presented with the problem of hoards of illiterate commoners, English clergymen in the 11th century created plays (that is a "form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading") to spread word about the Bible.

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The Origins: Historical and Social Background...

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The Origins: Historical and Social Background...

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...All of us, Students and Teachers, spend a lot of time reading, when, out there, big things are going on...

Why do we devote so much time to reading? The answer is in the word 'Literature' and the importance of Literature in our lives... Let's see what Literature exactly is, then, and what Literature means to all of us, Human Beings...

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What is Literature?... And what is Literature for?

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All of us, Students and Teachers, spend a lot of time reading novels and poems, playscripts and written texts in general, when, out there, big things are going on... Why do we devote so much time to reading? The answer is in the word ‘Literature’ and the importance of Literature in our lives... Le…

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The Literary Background: Old English Literature... 

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The Literary Background: Old English Literature... 

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The Literary Background: Literature in Middle English...

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The Literary Background: Literature in Middle English...

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Ilaria_Creative Production “What is Literature for?” (23 ott 2020, 18:53)

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Giulia B_Creative Production “What is Literature for?” (23 ott 2020, 22:16).MOV

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Giulia Chiara S_Literature and Us_1205.mp4

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Sara M_Creative Production “What is Literature for?” (23 ott 2020, 18:21)

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Carlotta C_Creative Production “What is Literature for?” (24 ott 2020, 15:02).MOV

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Heloise research work on Chaucer and Boccaccio 

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Heloise research work on Chaucer and Boccaccio 

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Meriem's reflection on the Black Death..

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Meriem's reflection on the Black Death..

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Maria Claudia's reflection on corruption in the Middle Ages and now

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Maria Claudia's reflection on corruption in the Middle Ages and now

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Elisa's reflection on Chaucer's Feminism

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Elisa's reflection on Chaucer's Feminism

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Eleonora on the importance of Bad King John and the 'Magna Charta'

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Eleonora on the importance of Bad King John and the 'Magna Charta'

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Giada S. discusses political Power and Pride...

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Giada S. discusses political Power and Pride...

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The First Great RAP Ever! Chaucer's General Prologue - original version...

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The First Great RAP Ever! Chaucer's General Prologue - original version...

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Listen and read, so as to become aware of the similarities and differences between Middle and Modern English: what do you notice - in terms of sound and rhythm? Is what your hear a catchy song from the point of view of the language, sound and rhythm?

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The Canterbury Tales Rap (General Prologue)- In Middle English

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"According to the Bible, Eve was created from Adam's rib and, having eaten the forbidden fruit, was responsible for man's expulsion from paradise. In medieval art, the responsibility of women for this 'original sin' is often emphasised (in many ways).... The story underlined the belief that women were inferior to men, and that they were morally weaker and likely to tempt men into sin..."

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Let's discover Beowulf: the Context (cloze)

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Let's discover Beowulf: the Context (cloze)

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Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

The Importance of Establishing Identity

As Beowulf is essentially a record of heroic deeds, the concept of identity-of which the two principal components are ancestral heritage and individual reputation-is clearly central to the poem. The opening passages introduce the reader to a world in which every male figure is known as his father's son. Characters in the poem are unable to talk about their identity or even introduce themselves without referring to family lineage. This concern with family history is so prominent because of the poem's emphasis on kinship bonds. Characters take pride in ancestors who have acted valiantly, and they attempt to live up to the same standards as those ancestors.

While heritage may provide models for behavior and help to establish identity-as with the line of Danish kings discussed early on-a good reputation is the key to solidifying and augmenting one's identity. For example, Shield Sheafson, the legendary originator of the Danish royal line, was orphaned; because he was in a sense fatherless, valiant deeds were the only means by which he could construct an identity for himself. While Beowulf's pagan warrior culture seems not to have a concept of the afterlife, it sees fame as a way of ensuring that an individual's memory will continue on after death-an understandable preoccupation in a world where death seems always to be knocking at the door.

Tensions Between the Heroic Code and Other Value Systems

Much of Beowulf is devoted to articulating and illustrating the Germanic heroic code, which values strength, courage, and loyalty in warriors; hospitality, generosity, and political skill in kings; ceremoniousness in women; and good reputation in all people. Traditional and much respected, this code is vital to warrior societies as a means of understanding their relationships to the world and the menaces lurking beyond their boundaries. All of the characters' moral judgments stem from the code's mandates. Thus individual actions can be seen only as either conforming to or violating the code.

The poem highlights the code's points of tension by recounting situations that expose its internal contradictions in values. The poem contains several stories that concern divided loyalties, situations for which the code offers no practical guidance about how to act. For example, the poet relates that the Danish Hildeburh marries the Frisian king. When, in the war between the Danes and the Frisians, both her Danish brother and her Frisian son are killed, Hildeburh is left doubly grieved. The code is also often in tension with the values of medieval Christianity. While the code maintains that honor is gained during life through deeds, Christianity asserts that glory lies in the afterlife. Similarly, while the warrior culture dictates that it is always better to retaliate than to mourn, Christian doctrine advocates a peaceful, forgiving attitude toward one's enemies. Throughout the poem, the poet strains to accommodate these two sets of values. Though he is Christian, he cannot (and does not seem to want to) deny the fundamental pagan values of the story.

The Difference Between a Good Warrior and a Good King

Over the course of the poem, Beowulf matures from a valiant combatant into a wise leader. His transition demonstrates that a differing set of values accompanies each of his two roles. The difference between these two sets of values manifests itself early on in the outlooks of Beowulf and King Hrothgar. Whereas the youthful Beowulf, having nothing to lose, desires personal glory, the aged Hrothgar, having much to lose, seeks protection for his people. Though these two outlooks are somewhat oppositional, each character acts as society dictates he should given his particular role in society.

While the values of the warrior become clear through Beowulf's example throughout the poem, only in the poem's more didactic moments are the responsibilities of a king to his people discussed. The heroic code requires that a king reward the loyal service of his warriors with gifts and praise. It also holds that he must provide them with protection and the sanctuary of a lavish mead-hall. Hrothgar's speeches, in particular, emphasize the value of creating stability in a precarious and chaotic world. He also speaks at length about the king's role in diplomacy, both with his own warriors and with other tribes.

Beowulf's own tenure as king elaborates on many of the same points. His transition from warrior to king, and, in particular, his final battle with the dragon, rehash the dichotomy between the duties of a heroic warrior and those of a heroic king. In the eyes of several of the Geats, Beowulf's bold encounter with the dragon is morally ambiguous because it dooms them to a kingless state in which they remain vulnerable to attack by their enemies. Yet Beowulf also demonstrates the sort of restraint proper to kings when, earlier in his life, he refrains from usurping Hygelac's throne, choosing instead to uphold the line of succession by supporting the appointment of Hygelac's son. But since all of these pagan kings were great warriors in their youth, the tension between these two important roles seems inevitable and ultimately irreconcilable.

Evil

Many readers have seen Beowulf's monsters as embodiments of evil, representing the idea that evil is a mysterious, inhuman force. All three monsters emerge from darkness, inflicting fear and suffering on the poem's human characters. Grendel, in particular, is closely allied with the forces of evil. He is a "fiend out of hell" (l.100) and a descendant of the cursed sinner Cain. However, none of the monsters acts out of sheer evil alone. Grendel's mother is legitimately seeking vengeance for her son's death. Even Grendel nurses "a hard grievance" (l.87), and we understand that even if his deeds are evil, Grendel acts out of isolation, envy, and fear. By giving the monsters comprehensible, human motives and at moments even showing us their points of view, Beowulf humanizes evil, suggesting that evil is both an unspeakable threat from the darkness and at the same time an ordinary part of human life. When we hear the poem's stories of war between humans, of Beowulf and Hygelac emerging from the sea to slaughter their enemies, we might begin to wonder if there's anything inhuman at all about Grendel or his mother.

Treasure

Although "glory" (l.1388), is what motivates Beowulf and the other heroic warriors of the poem, they measure their glory in treasure. The gloriousness of Beowulf's achievement in killing Grendel is measured by the amount of treasure Hrothgar gives him as a reward. At the same time, Hrothgar's gloriousness as a king can be measured by his generosity with his treasure. When Beowulf gives the lion's share of his reward to Hygelac, it shows us in quantifiable terms how loyal Beowulf is to his king, and therefore how well he upholds the warrior code, while also indicating how excellent a king Hygelac is. However, Beowulf is deeply skeptical about the value of treasure. The poem's biggest hoard of treasure belongs to the monstrous dragon, and it does him no good. When Wiglaf enters the barrow to examine the hoard, he finds it already "tarnished and corroding" (ll.2761-2). Many readers have found Beowulf's dying wish to see the treasure he has won disquieting. To the poem's original Christian audience, it may have been even more disquieting: it's a reminder that, in his final moments, Beowulf's mind is on temporary, worldly things instead of God and eternal life.

Mortality

On one level, Beowulf is from beginning to end a poem about confronting death. It begins with a funeral, and proceeds to the story of a murderous monster. Beowulf enters the story as a hero who has chosen to risk death in order to achieve fame. As Beowulf fights Grendel's mother at the bottom of the mere, even his close friends believe he has died. Some readers have seen his journey to the bottom of the mere as a symbolic death, drawing on the Christian story of the "Harrowing of Hell," in which Jesus, after dying on the Cross, descends to Hell in order to divide the saved from the damned. The final third of the poem is devoted to Beowulf's death and funeral. Some readers have argued that the poem presents pagan mortality as tragic: Beowulf and the other heroes lead frightening, death-filled lives, and die without any hope of salvation. However, other readers have found Beowulf all the more heroic because he accomplishes his deeds in the shadow of certain death, without hope of resurrection. For these readers, Beowulf suggests that a good, brave life is worth living at any cost.

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Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. As Beowulf is essentially a record of heroic deeds, the concept of identity-of which the two principal components are ancestral heritage and individual reputation-is clearly central to the poem.

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let's discover Chaucer's 'The Wife of Bath's Tale'...

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let's discover Chaucer's 'The Wife of Bath's Tale'...

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The Monarchs of England | Royal Family Tree

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Further Study: The Wife of Bath's Tale Quiz

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Further Study: The Wife of Bath's Tale Quiz

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the canterbury tales free online study guide

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The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Tale Quiz: Quick Quiz | SparkNotes

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Suggestions Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. A Christmas Carol A Midsummer Night's Dream Crime and Punishment Great Expectations The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn