Important Questions

Q: Why is the year 1066 important?

Ans: 1066 is the date of Norman Conquest of England and the beginning of Anglo – Norman literature in England. The Norman conquest of England in 1066 greatly influenced the evolution of the language. For about 300 years after this, the Normans used Anglo-Norman, which was close to Old French, as the language of the court, law and administration. By the latter part of the fourteenth century, when English had replaced French as the language of law and government, Anglo-Norman borrowings had contributed roughly 10,000 words to English, of which 75% remain in use.

Q: To which country did King Alfred belong? Name one of his prose works?

Ans: Alfred belonged to the ninth century he was the king of Wessex(871). Alfred is actually noted for his translation works. He translated or got translated Pastoral Care of Pope Gregory.

Q: What is the period of the middle ages? What are the sources of information about the middle ages?

Ans: Roughly speaking, the middle age refers to the period of 1066 to 1485 (Norman Conquest of England to the end of the wars of Roses). The middle age is briefly reflected in Doomsdays Book, pipe Rolls, Court Rolls, chancery records and account books.

The Formalist Approach

The formalist approach emphasizes the manner of reading literature that was given its special dimensions and emphases by English and American critics in the first two-thirds of the Twentieth century. It should be mentioned, that to many students of literature during that era, this approach came to be called the New Criticism.