Anglo-Norman literature facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Anglo-Norman literature is writing created in the Anglo-Norman language. This language was a type of French spoken in England between 1066 and 1204. This was a time when the Duchy of Normandy and the Kingdom of England were joined together.

Introduction
Narrative Literature
Didactic Literature
Hagiography
Lyric Poetry
Satire
Drama
See Also

Introduction

The Norman language came to England when William the Conqueror took over. After the Norman conquest, the nobles in England spoke Norman. The Anglo-Norman language, which was the Norman spoken in England, became an important language for writing in the 1100s. It was used in the royal court until the 1300s. Later, during the time of Henry IV of England, English became the main language for England's kings.

The Anglo-Norman language changed over time, becoming different from the Old Norman spoken in Normandy. Even though it started to decline in the 1360s, French was still seen as a very important language. One writer in the late 1300s called French "the most beautiful and gracious language" and compared it to "the angels' speech in heaven."

Anglo-Norman literature was very popular from the early 1100s to the early 1200s. This period ended around the time France took back some provinces from England. Writers like Wace and Benoît de Sainte-More created their histories because Henry II of England asked them to. Marie de France also wrote her poems during his rule. The murder of Thomas Becket, which Henry II was involved in, led to many Anglo-Norman writings. Famous stories like those by Béroul and Thomas of Britain also appeared then. These works can be grouped into different types: stories, teaching materials, saintly lives, songs, funny writings, and plays.

Narrative Literature

Narrative literature means stories. Anglo-Norman writers created many different kinds of tales.

Epic and Romance

Epic poems, like the French Chanson de Roland, came to England early on. It's even thought that the Song of Roland was sung at the battle of Hastings. Some old Anglo-Norman copies of these long heroic poems still exist today. For example, Pélérinage de Charlemagne (Charlemagne's Pilgrimage) is only found in an Anglo-Norman copy.

Even though England didn't create many new epic poems, these stories made people interested in heroic tales. This led to the style of stories like Romance of Horn, Bovon de Hampton, and Gui de Warewic.

The influence between French and English stories is clear in the Breton romances and adventure stories. The Lais of Marie de France were written in England. Many stories about King Arthur and the Matter of Britain seem to have traveled from England to France through Anglo-Norman writers.

The legends of Merlin and King Arthur, first collected by Geoffrey of Monmouth, became part of French literature. Chrétien de Troyes's Perceval is based on an Anglo-Norman poem. The famous love story of Tristan and Iseult was written by two authors, Béroul and Thomas of Britain, who were likely Anglo-Norman.

Hugh of Rutland wrote two adventure stories: Ipomedon and Protheselaus. Ipomedon is about a knight who marries a duchess. Protheselaus is the sequel, telling the story of Ipomedon's sons.

Fables and Religious Tales

Only a few short, funny stories called fableaux were written in England. However, one of the most popular collections of fables in the Middle Ages was by Marie de France. She said she translated them from King Alfred.

Religious tales were mostly about the legends of the Virgin Mary. These stories were collected in a few important books, including one by Adgar in the 1100s and another by Everard of Gateley around 1250. Other religious stories include Chardri's Set dormans about the Seven Sleepers and Josaphat about Barlaam and Josaphat.

History

Anglo-Norman writers also created important historical works. Geoffrey Gaimar wrote his Estoire des Engleis (History of the English) between 1147 and 1151. This history covered events up to the death of William Rufus.

Wace wrote his Roman de Rou between 1160 and 1174, which tells the history of Normandy. His Brut or Geste des Bretons, written in 1155, was a translation of Geoffrey of Monmouth's history. Wace added popular tales and details he knew from tradition, making his work interesting.

The History of the Dukes of Normandy by Benoît de Sainte-More was written around 1170 for Henry II. It's a very long poem, but it focuses more on adventure and love stories than strict history. However, other works give more reliable information. For example, an anonymous poem about Henry II's Conquest of Ireland in 1172 is a key source for that event.

One of the most valuable historical works is The History of William the Marshal. It was written in 1225 or 1226 by a poet who used notes from William the Marshal's squire, John d'Early. This book is very important for understanding the period from 1186 to 1219. It gives a vivid picture of medieval society.

Didactic Literature

Didactic literature means writings that aim to teach or instruct. This was a very large part of Anglo-Norman literature. These works were often written to teach Anglo-Norman lords and ladies about religion and other subjects.

Some important examples include:

Philippe de Thaun's Comput (around 1119), a poem about the calendar.
His Bestiaire (around 1130), which described animals and their moral meanings.
Translations of the Psalter (a book of psalms) from Latin into French, like the Oxford Psalter (around 1150).
Distichs of Cato, a collection of moral sayings, translated by Everard de Kirkham and Elie de Winchester.
Le chastel d'amors (The Castle of Love) by Robert Grosseteste, a bishop of Lincoln.
Wilham de Waddington's Manuel des péchés (Manual of Sins), written in the late 1200s, which was later adapted into English.

There were also books to help people learn French, like Gautier de Biblesworth's guide for Madame Dyonise de Mountechensi. John Gower's Mirour de l'omme (Mirror of Man), written in the late 1300s, is a very long poem with about 30,000 lines, written in excellent French.

Hagiography

Hagiography refers to the lives of saints. Many stories about saints were written in Anglo-Norman. Some of the most important ones include:

Voyage de Saint Brandan (Voyage of Saint Brendan), written in 1121 for Queen Aelis.
The life of St. Catherine by Clemence of Barking.
The life of St Giles, around 1170, by Guillaume de Berneville.
The life of St. Nicholas and the life of Our Lady by Wace.
Expurgatoire de Ste. Patrice (Saint Patrick's Purgatory) by Marie de France.
La vie de St. Edmund le Rei (The Life of St. Edmund the King) by Denis Pyramus in the late 1100s.
The life of St. Gregory the Great by Frère Angier in 1214.
A life of Edward the Confessor, written before 1245 by a monk from Westminster.

Lyric Poetry

Lyric poetry refers to songs and poems, often expressing feelings. The most important surviving songs are the seventy-one Ballads by John Gower. Most other Anglo-Norman songs that remain are religious. Many of these songs were discovered and published by Paul Meyer.

Even though many songs were written, only a few have survived. This is partly because English, French, and Provençal people often mixed and shared their songs. An interesting old English poem, Piers Plowman, shows how popular these songs were in England.

Some lyrical works were even written in two or three languages, like Latin and French, or English and French. One poem in Early English Lyrics shows a lover sending a greeting to his beloved in three languages, and she replies in the same way.

Satire

Satire is writing that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize people's vices or foolishness. The popularity of the Roman de Renart (a collection of animal fables) and the Anglo-Norman version of the Riote du Monde (World's Riot) shows that people in England enjoyed French satire.

Clergy (church leaders) and women were often targets for satirists. However, one Englishman wrote a poem called La Bonté des dames (The Goodness of Ladies) to defend women. Nicole Bozon, after criticizing women in one work, also wrote Bounté des femmes (Goodness of Women), praising their kindness, humility, and how well they raised their children.

Some political satires show French and English writers making fun of each other's faults.

Drama

Drama, or plays, must have had a big impact on the development of religious plays in England. However, none of the French plays performed in England in the 1100s and 1200s have survived. The play Adam, often thought to be an Anglo-Norman mystery play from the 1100s, was probably written in France in the early 1200s. The earliest English morality plays seem to have been inspired by French ones.