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ENGLISH LITERATURE OFTHE15th C.

 

The 15thñ. in the history of the English literature is known as the period of demoralization anddecay. Literature of the period didn’t promote any prominent authors and the poetic genii of the previous centuries were replaced mainly bycompilators, imitators, translators, livingtothepastheritage. Persistentwarsand internecine conflictsdidn’t favourliterature development. The 14thñ. ended withking Richard II deposition (1399). The dynasty of Lancaster started to reign withHenry IV. Hisreignwasnotsuccessful, accompaniedwithtyrannyofnobility, bigtaxes, fanatic persecution of “heretics”and in the beginning of king Henry V’s reign (1413-1422) led to massive people’s revolt. Henry V triedtodivertattention from his faults with war campaigns against France, resuming, thus, Hundred years’ war. The battle atAgincourtå (1415), whenHenrydefeatednumerousFrencharmy with his lesser one, became one of the most popular battles in the English history, glorified by many author including Shakespeare. ThenHenryseizedallthenorthofFrance, Paris (1422) and married with the French king’s daughter. He was succeeded by his young son Henry VI(1422-1461) who was not that successful, so in 1450the English lost all their lands in France but for the port city of Calais.This time new war became more important in England – the War of Roses (1455-1485) - the last fight between feudal families before the period of royal absolute power. The old feudal culture was dying in this war alongside with the old aristocratic families of LancastersandYorks who practically destroyed one another. A new era in the English history began in 1485withthe Battle of Bosworth Field, whenHenry Tudordefeated Richard III. Newnobilitywassubjecttoroyalpowerandsupporteditsdesire forunity of nation and state. Theinfluenceofgentry, merchantclass, citiesincreased many timesas well as the development of trade and industry.

ThenumberofschoolsinLondonandprovincesincreased, startingfromnewcolledgesofCambridge&Etonand finishing with new church and guild schools. Thedevelopmentofeducationinfluencedonthenumberofhand-copiedbooks.FromthebeginningofHenry IV reigntherelationsbetweenEnglandandItalygrew; tourists and scientists were sent to study fine arts. King’s father John of Gaunt was once an English ambassador in Italy, studying classic literature and science, humanistic literature, fine arts and thus influenced his nephew – future king Henry V.

Bookprinting was a great invention of the era. Thefirsttypography in England wasopened by William Caxton (1421-1491), a translator & a publisher. Caxton used to be a rich London merchant’s apprentice, later after his master’s death he spent 30 years in Bruges,one of the most important trade centres of Europe, a city of writers, artists, translators. There he was promoted to be a consul. In1464he began a translation of the Troy story from French & published it in Bruges. In1474-1475Caxton started printing books. In1476-1477hereturned to England and opened the firstEnglishtypography near the Westminster abbey. Thefirstbook printed wasSayings of the Philosophers, 1477. Alreadyduringthe first threeyearsofitsexistenceheprintedabout 30 books. Amongthem – Chaucer’sCT, Story about Jason & the Golden Fleece, Chaucer’s translation of Boetius, etc; till1480Caxton finisheda translation of Metamorphoses by Ovid, later he also translated and published The Aeneid, Life of Carl the Great (1485), a romanceParis & Vienna(1488), Morted’Arthur by Malory (1485), etc. Allinallhepublished90books. In1480JohnLatthouopenanewtypographyinLondon, onemorewasopenedinOxfordin1478.



 


Date: 2015-01-11; view: 868


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