‘DARK AGE’ IN OPPOSITION TO THE PAST “LIGHT”
“It takes a great deal of history to produce a
little literature.”
-Henry James-
Literary history of culture is
deeply rooted in the socio-political background of the land. The driving force of literature will be the
immediate changes that happen in a society. In this respect, the history of
literature can also be the history of an entire nation or culture. English
literature has a long tale of history hidden inside it. English started established itself as a
capable language during the Medieval period, i.e., from AD 500 up to the beginning
of Renaissance. Whenever the discussion of medieval period of English
literature happens, the term Dark Age will be mentioned. The period between the fall of Rom and the
Renaissance is generally termed as the Dark ages as far as the history of
European literature is concerned. As the
name denotes, Dark Age had to pay a lot to the cultural and literary history of
Europe. In the early times, the term Dark Age was restricted to the Early
Middle Ages. Later it used as a reference to the entire medieval period.
The fall of Roman Empire
paved the way to a sudden slowdown in the fields of literature, economy and
fine arts. That stagnation happened after the fall of Rome had a clear impact
over the general characteristics of the period. Rome was the epicentre of art
and cultural sphere of Europe during that time. Even now Rome is attributed
with an aura of great cultural past and fine arts tradition. Rome acts as a face
of European command over art and literature.
Dark age is a term originally used in order to denote the cultural and
economic deterioration that had occurred in Western Europe following the
decline of the Roman Empire. The period seems to be dark to the historians
because there is no clear documents as far as some areas are concerned. So,
comparing with the past’ light’, the medieval period became a binary opposition
to that. There is a scarcity of the
historical and written records and the era becomes obscure to some extent. The
term Dark Ages came from the Latin word “salcum obscurum”. The term Dark Age was coined by Italian scholar
Petrach. He uses the word Dark Age because there are no historical or literary records
available.
BEOWULF AS A REFLECTION OF OLD ENGLISH PERIOD
Beowulf is considered as
the hallmark of Old English Period. The epic poem, Beowulf was composed in
between the year 700 and 900. It tells the story of Beowulf, a warrior prince
from Geatland in Sweden, who goes to Denmark and kills the monster Grendel .
Grendel was attacking the great hall of Heorot. After a lot of happenings, the poem
ends with Beowulf’s burial and a premonition that the kingdom will be
overthrown. The authorship of Beowulf is
unknown. We have comparatively little
records on the writings of the old English period. The date of composition of
the work is also a topic of debate. Beowulf has a pattern that is of specific
to the Anglo-Saxons period. Like the concept of a well run - state, literature
also has the tendency to be governed by an idea or ideal for a long time. In
that sense any literary works do follow some general patterns. Beowulf has a
clear inclination towards the socio-religious contexts of old English period.
The monster in the epic is compared to the evils existed in Christianity during
that time. The great hall of Heorot is the suggestive of the security of the
people and the monster ultimately is dangerous to the overall security. That threat
of religious instability and the need to get rid of that problematic situation are
portrayed through the story of Beowulf. The
violent fighting and the inventions of the period find expression in Beowulf. So,
apart from a literary piece of the old English period, the work also can be
considered as a reflection of the time.
The Anglo Saxon literature was pagan. The
other notable poet of old English period is Caedmon. His famous work Caedmon’s
Paraphrases which is stories in verse was written in AD 670. He was commissioned
by the monastery at Whity in Yorkshir. So, this work was not entirely his own. Even though the work was a task ascribed to
him, it contains imaginative quality.
Cynewoulf, the most notable
of Anglo Saxon poet is known for his poems The Christ, Juliana, The Fates of
the Apostle and Elena. They are noticed for the intensity of feelings,
brilliance of composition, religious note and descriptive power. Another important work produced during that
time is Judith. It is considered as the finest piece of Anglo Axon
religious poetry.
THE
NORMAN CONQUEST AND CHAUCER’S PERIOD
The battle of Hastings was a turning point in
the history of English literature. The period
marked a new beginning in England. The literature brought by Normans is
characterised by love and adventure that contracts the general nature of Anglo
Saxon literature. Under the influence of the Normans a new spirit of romance
and chivalry came to English literature. The main changes that happened with
the Norman Conquest are the bringing of Roman civilization to England, the
growth of nationality and the emergence of English as a capable language for
literary production. This cultural traffic influenced a lot in the development
of English language and literature. Anglo
Norman poetry used historical, religious, didactic and romantic themes in their
poetry. This coming of new themes made a startling change in the course of
poetry in England.
The age of Chaucer marks the beginning of a
new era, a new language and literature. It was a turbulent period
of social, religious and political changes. Chaucer’s time witnessed the decline
of the medieval institutions of feudalism and chivalry. Ardent uprising of nationalism
is a main characteristic of this period. This consciousness of nationalism strengthened
with the Hundred Years of War with France.
The most important change that happened during that period is that period
was English nation for the first felt the existence of common language and
literature. In AD 1384-89 the terrible Black Death carried of less than
one-third of England’s population. Famine
followed the plague. The whole social
order and lives were damaged.
Chaucer wrote during this socio-political
background. W.H.Hudson remarks, “His (Chaucer’s)
genius is fed by his wide and deep knowledge of life itself (Brief History,
p.24).” His magnum opus, Canterbury Tales gave English language a new vigour.
Chaucer dared to use English which was
then the language of lay men for literary composition. His characters are real
types who represent the cross section of fourteenth century English society. His attempt was revolutionary in that era. The
twenty nine characters in the Prologue represent different class in the Middle English
period. Mathew Arnold remarks that “with him (Chaucer) is born our real
poetry.( Brief History, p.28)”
William Langland is the next
prominent literary figure of MiVisiddle English period. He is well known for his work on Of William Concerning Piers, the Plowman. The work describes the pictures of
fourteenth century England, of contemporary manners in the town and country. It
in this context has great literary and historical significance. Since the work contains good and bad sides of life
it can also regarded as an allegory of human life.
The hundred years that followed the death of
Chaucer as a barren period in English Literature. There were no worth literary
creations and these years produced nothing but imitations of Chaucer. Political
happenings of the era had some impact on art and literature. The post-Chaucerian
period was full of wars, lawlessness unrest and chaos.
Renaissance was an intellectual
rebirth in the fields of art and literature. The era of Dark Age came to an end
before the renaissance.
CONCLUSION
Dark Age
is a term used as a synonym for medieval times. Even though there are no clear
records or written documents that give us details of the era, the literature of
this time is marked by its reflection of the social shifts. Beowulf can be considered as the main
composition of the Old English Period and Chaucer is the doyen among the Middle
English writers. Medieval literature is
an amalgamation of the socio-political and religious happenings of the time.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
·
Abrams, M.H, Geoffrey Galt Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. New Delhi: Wadworth, 2012. Print.
·
Nagarajan , M S. English Literary Criticism and Theory. Hyderabad . Orient BlackSwan Private Limited , 2006
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