The foundational period of English literature covering Anglo-Saxon heroic poetry, religious texts, and the emergence of Middle English romances and allegories.
The Anglo-Saxon period (450-1066 AD) is the foundation of English literature. Key features: oral tradition, heroic code, alliterative verse, and blend of pagan-Christian themes. Major works include Beowulf and elegies like The Wanderer.
Key Anglo-Saxon works: Beowulf (epic, monster fights, kennings), Elegies (Wanderer, Seafarer - themes of exile), Religious poetry (Caedmon's Hymn - earliest poem, Dream of the Rood), and Prose (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle by King Alfred).
The Norman Conquest (1066) brought French rule and created a trilingual culture (Latin, French, English). Key developments: romance genre, Arthurian legends (Geoffrey of Monmouth), and gradual transition from Old to Middle English.
Key Anglo-Norman works: Geoffrey's Historia (Arthur legend, Latin), Wace's Brut (Round Table, French), Marie de France's Lais (courtly love), Owl and the Nightingale (debate poem, English), Layamon's Brut (first English Arthur epic).