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Anglo-Norman literature, also known as Norman-french literature or Anglo-french literature, is a collection of works written in the Old French language as it was spoken in mediaeval England. Though this dialect was brought to English court circles during the reign of Edward the Confessor, it was not until the Norman Conquest in 1066 that it became the vernacular of the court, the law, the church, schools, universities, parliament, and subsequently municipalities and trade. Anglo-Norman became an acquired tongue for the English aristocracy, and its use a test of gentility. It was introduced to Wales and Ireland, and it was used in Scotland to a small extent.
A Brief History
The earliest Anglo-Norman literary texts date from Henry I’s reign in the early 12th century, and the most recent from Henry IV’s reign in the early 15th century. During the Hundred Years’ War, there was an increase in the use of English, with the last strongholds of a French dialect being Parliament and the law, where it still exists in a few formulations. Anglo-Norman was the second most widely used literary language in England from the 12th through the 14th centuries, after Latin. The majority of literary works were portrayed in Anglo-Norman in the same way that they were in French, with a little shift in emphasis. The chanson de geste was an exception; while this style of French epic poem was not unknown in England, no original works of the genre appear to have been composed there. Anglo-Norman works, on the other hand, were well-known, copied, and imitated across the Continent.
Significance of Anglo Norman
One significant distinction between continental and Anglo-Norman literature is that the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215 resulted in a flood of doctrinal and devotional works for the laity in England that was unmatched in France, which may explain why England was often ahead of the Continent in the development of new literary forms in the early periods. Historical writing was popular in Normandy and across the continent, and while Latin superseded English in papers and chronicles after the Norman Conquest, evidence of both can be found in Anglo-Norman. The nobles enjoyed novels about fictional English forebears, while religious houses prompted the writing of lives of homegrown saints. As a result of the social and political contrasts between the two countries, Anglo-Norman literature was not merely a provincial replica of French literature.
Writings that are both religious and didactic.
Many versions of the Psalter, as well as the oldest important Anglo-Norman prose work, “The Book of Kings,” were composed in England in the 12th century. Sanson de Nanteuil penned the “Sunday Gospels” for a noble woman in the 13th century, while Robert of Greatham published the “Proverbs of Solomon” in verse with commentary. The spectacular series of Anglo-Norman apocalypses, well recognised for its exquisite graphics, began in the same century and served as a model for a series of tapestries at Angers, France. The legends of saints were abundant in Anglo-Norman literature, with Benedeit’s “Voyage of St. Brendan” being perhaps the oldest completely narrative French poetry in the octosyllabic couplet. Wace was the first to write a saint’s life in standard form, but Anglo-Norman writers in the 12th century followed suit, producing a slew of biographies, many of which linked monastic houses to patron saints.
Romances
Romance was abundant in Anglo-Norman literature. A courtly version of the Tristan story was written in the 12th century by one Thomas, which survived in parts and was used by Gottfried von Strassburg in Tristan und Isolde, as well as being the source of the Old Norse, Italian, and Middle English versions of the story. Tristan by Béroul, also from the 12th century, was most likely written in England, but by a Norman; Waldef, a long, jumbled romance about an imaginary ruler of East Anglia and his sons, includes some stunning unique sections. Some romances were written in the form of the chanson de geste in the 12th century, such as Horn by Master Thomas, which is linked to the Middle English Horn Childe and Maiden Rimnild. Another Thomas wrote the Roman de toute chevalerie (“Tale of All Chivalry”), a spin-off of the Alexander novel and the inspiration for the Middle English romance King Alisaunder. The more courtly kind of romance emerged in the 13th century with Amadas et Idoine and Amis et Amiloun.
Lays and Fables in Norman French
Marie de France, the first named French woman poet, produced fables based on an English source and 12 narrative lays in octosyllabic rhymed couplets (addressed, most likely, to Henry II of England). She stated that their originals were Breton lays. The lais mixed realistic and fairy-tale aspects, and their creator was adept at analysing love difficulties and frequently expressed an interest in current events. A few more fabliaux have been discovered copied in religious documents, most likely for exemplary purposes.
Some Historical and Political Notes
Political song fragments can be found in Peter Langtoft’s Account, which began as a Brut—a comprehensive chronicle of British history—but evolved into a source for Edward I’s reign. Nicholas Trevet, a Dominican, produced a literary history of Europe from which Chaucer derived his “Man of Law’s Tale.” The earliest chronicle in French, Estoire des Engleis, by Geffrei Gaimar (c. 1140), was written in Anglo-Norman verse. Foreigners wrote two beautiful biographies of the 1st Earl of Pembroke (William Marshal) and Edward, the Black Prince, for English benefactors. Official records were frequently written in Anglo-Norman, and the Yearbooks, unofficial summaries of common pleas proceedings, were published from Edward I to Henry VIII. In the late 14th century, English began to coexist with French in Parliament.
Science and natural history. Philippe de Thaon, or Thaün, was an early Anglo-Norman writer who composed Li Cumpoz (The Computus), the first French bestiary, and a work on valuable stones. Simund de Freine based his Roman de philosophie on Boethius, who is also credited with a large part of the 13th-century Petite Philosophie.
Conclusion
This article has immensely showered light on the history of the Anglo- Normal literature and also the essence of the Anglo-Norman dialect was not left unattended by this article. Moreover, there is also a brief focus on the importance of the subject matter which shall prove to be highly essential in the long run. The main impetus was given on how the Anglo-Norman language revolved around French as in Old Anglo-Norman French and various forms of poems and stories like fables and lays were discussed in the above article.
