Quipper

Lesson 1

Ancient Literature
and Medieval
Literature (800 BC–
1500 AD)
1 Identify the characteristics
of European literature
(EN12Lit-IIb-32);

Distinguish the differences

2 between works of
literature from different
literary periods (EN12Lit-
IId-25); and

Demonstrate
3 understanding of the
evolution of European
literature (EN12Lit-IIc-33).
Why do we need to study
World Literature?
What is your favorite Greek Mythology story?
 Vocabulary Words
ague (noun) - a fever with sudden
morsel (noun) - a piece of food in
1 small quantity 3 attacks of chills and sweating at regular
intervals
A morsel of bread is more than enough The old man on the other bed is having
for my empty stomach. fits of ague.

apothecary (noun) - someone who altercation (noun) - a heated

2 prepares and sells medicine in the old
times 4 argument
Some old neighbors got into an
My great-grandma used to tell us that her altercation due to misunderstanding.
father was the best apothecary in their
town.

beguile (verb) - to trick someone

5 She was cunning enough to beguile her
classmates into doing the work for her.
 Literature during the Ancient Period (800
BC–500 AD)

● mostly influenced by Greco-Roman culture, which

became the basis for the Western literature that we
know today

● foundation of European literature: intellectual and

philosophical studies made by the Greeks and the
Romans
Major Kinds of Literature Created during the
Ancient Period
1. tragedy 5. biography
2. comedy 6. prose narrative
3. epic 7. lyric
4. history 8. satire
Major Writers during the Ancient Period

Greeks Romans
● Homer ● Horace
● Aesop ● Virgil
● Plato ● Ovid
● Socrates
● Aristotle
● Sophocles
 Literature during the Medieval Period (500–
1500 AD)

● refers to works produced during the Middle Ages (500 AD–

1500)

● marked the emergence of three dominant cultures

Christianity, Islam, and the Germanic invaders
Major Kinds of Literary Forms during the Medieval
Period
1. hymns
2. epic poems
3. elegies
4. ballads
 Characteristics of Literature during the
Medieval Period (500–1500 AD)
● It is focused on different religious beliefs.
● It shows the lives of aristocracy.
● It shows the inconsistencies of chivalry, problematizing
personal bravery versus group needs, and the individual
working out his or her destiny.
Examples of Medieval Literature

● Beowulf
● Canterbury Tales