THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORY
OF
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE


Volume I: English
FROM THE BEGINNINGS
TO THE CYCLES OF ROMANCE


Edited by A. W. Ward & A. R. Waller

  
CONTENTS
    Preface
    Table of Principal Dates
  
Chapter I. The Beginnings
  By A. R. WALLER, M.A., Peterhouse
  1. Characteristics of the earliest Poetry
  2. The Gleemen
  3. Theodore and Hadrian
  4. National Strife
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
II. Runes and Manuscripts
  By A. C. PAUES, Ph.D., Upsala, Newnham College
  1. The National Germanic Alphabet
  2. Runes in Scandinavian and Old English Literature
  3. The Ruthwell Cross
  4. The Franks Casket
  5. The Roman Alphabet
  6. The Irish School of Writing
  7. Tablets, parchment, vellum, paper, pens, ink, and binding
  8. Scribes and scriptoria
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
III. Early National Poetry
  By H. MUNRO CHADWICK, M.A., Fellow of Clare College
  1. Early National Poems the work of Minstrels
  2. Teutonic Epic Poetry
  3. Beowulf: Scandinavian Traditions; Personality of the Hero; Origin and Antiquity of the Poem; the Religious Element
  4. Finnsburh
  5. The Waldhere Fragments
  6. Widsith
  7. Deor
  8. The Wanderer
  9. The Seafarer
  10. The Wife’s Complaint
  11. The Husband’s Message
  12. The Ruin
  13. Religious Poetry of Heathen Times
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
IV. Old English Christian Poetry
  By M. BENTINCK SMITH, M.A., Headmistress of St. Leonard’s School, St. Andrews
  1. Celtic Christianity
  2. Changes wrought by the New Spirit
  3. Caedmon’s Hymn
  4. Genesis, Exodus, Daniel
  5. Crist and Satan
  6. Cynewulf: His Personality
  7. Crist, Juliana, The Fates of the Apostles, Elene
  8. Andreas
  9. The Dream of the Rood
  10. Guthlac, The Phoenix, Physiologus, Riddles
  11. Minor Christian Poems
  12. The Riming Poem, Proverbs, The Runic Poem, Salomon and Saturn
  13. The Schools of Caedmon and Cynewulf
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
V. Latin Writings in England to the Time of Alfred
  By MONTAGUE RHODES JAMES, Litt.D., Provost of King’s College
  1. Gildas and The History of the Britons
  2. Hisperic” Latin
  3. Nennius and Historia Brittonum
  4. The Roman Mission to Kent and its results
  5. Aldhelm and his School
  6. Bede’s Ecclesiastical History
  7. Bede’s Letter to Egbert of York
  8. Alcuin
  9. Lives of Saints; Visions; Minor writings
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
VI. Alfred and the Old English Prose of his Reign
  By P. G. THOMAS, M.A., Professor of English Language and Literature at Bedford College, University of London
  1. Asser’s Life of Alfred
  2. The Handbook and Pastoral Care
  3. Translations of Orosius and Bede
  4. Codes of Law
  5. De Consolatione Philosophiae
  6. The metres in Alfred’s Boethius
  7. Augustine’s Soliloquies
  8. The Chronicle
  9. Gregory’s Dialogues
  10. Works attributed to Alfred
  11. His Literary Achievement
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
VII. From Alfred to the Conquest
  By JOHN S. WESTLAKE, M.A., Trinity College
  1. The Chronicle
  2. The Monastic Reform
  3. Blickling Homilies
  4. The Works of Aelfric
  5. Wulfstan
  6. Byrhtferth
  7. Lindisfarne, Rushworth, and West Saxon Glosses
  8. Legends of the Holy Rood
  9. Legends of the East
  10. Quasi-scientific works
  11. The Ballads and Poems in The Chronicle
  12. Judith
  13. The Battle of Maldon or Byrhtnoth’s Death
  14. Menologium
  15. Be Domes Daege
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
VIII. The Norman Conquest
  By A. R. WALLER
  1. Dunstan
  2. The Coming Change
  3. The Wisdom of the East
  4. Lanfranc
  5. Anselm
  6. Norman Gifts
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
IX. Latin Chroniclers from the Eleventh to the Thirteenth Centuries
  By W. LEWIS JONES, M.A., Professor of English Language and Literature at the University College of North Wales
  1. England and Normandy
  2. Characteristics of the Chroniclers
  3. The Northumbrian School of English Medieval History; Simeon of Durham
  4. Florence of Worcester
  5. Eadmer and Ordericus Vitalis
  6. William of Malmesbury
  7. Henry of Huntingdon
  8. Gesta Stephani
  9. Geoffrey of Monmouth
  10. William of Newburgh
  11. Benedict of Peterborough
  12. Richard Fitz-Neale
  13. Roger of Hoveden
  14. Ralph of Diceto
  15. Richard of Devizes
  16. Jocelin of Brakelond
  17. Giraldus Cambrensis
  18. Walter Map
  19. Matthew Paris
  20. Minor Chroniclers
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
X. English Scholars of Paris and Franciscans of Oxford
LATIN LITERATURE OF ENGLAND FROM JOHN OF SALISBURY TO RICHARD OF BURY
  By J. E. SANDYS, Litt.D., Fellow of St. John’s College and Public Orator of the University of Cambridge
  1. The University of Paris
  2. English Scholars of Paris: John of Salisbury
  3. Peter of Blois
  4. Walter Map
  5. Other Writers of Latin
  6. Gervase
  7. Nigel Wireker
  8. Jean de Hauteville; Alain de Lille
  9. Geoffrey de Vinsauf; Alexander Neckam
  10. Joannes de Garlandia
  11. Giraldus Cambrensis
  12. Michael Scot
  13. Franciscans and Dominicans
  14. Franciscans of Oxford
  15. Alexander of Hales
  16. Robert Grosseteste and the Franciscans
  17. Adam Marsh
  18. Roger Bacon
  19. Duns Scotus
  20. William of Ockham
  21. Walter Burleigh
  22. Scholars of Oxford: John Baconthorpe
  23. Thomas Bradwardine
  24. Richard of Bury
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
XI. Early Transition English
  By J. W. H. ATKINS, M.A., Professor of English Language and Literature at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, Fellow of St. John’s College
  1. The Proverbs of Alfred
  2. Poema Morale
  3. Literary Revolt of the 13th Century
  4. Ormulum
  5. Genesis and Exodus
  6. Hortatory Verse and Prose
  7. The Bestiary; An Bispel; Sawles Warde
  8. Hali Meidenhad; Lives of the Saints
  9. Ancren Riwle
  10. The Virgin Cult and Erotic Mysticism
  11. The Luve Ron
  12. Layamon’s Brut
  13. The Owl and Nightingale
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
XII. The Arthurian Legend
  By W. LEWIS JONES, M.A., Professor of English Language and Literature at the University College of North Wales, Bangor, formerly Scholar of Queens’ College
  1. Early Welsh Tradition
  2. Nennius and Gildas
  3. Early Welsh Poetry
  4. The Mabinogion
  5. Kulhwch and Olwen
  6. Geoffrey of Monmouth
  7. Caradoc of Llancarvan
  8. The French Romances
  9. Wace
  10. Layamon
  11. Subsidiary Legends
  12. Merlin
  13. Gawain
  14. Lancelot and Guinevere
  15. The Holy Grail
  16. Tristram and Iseult
  17. Celtic Literature
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
XIII. Metrical Romances, 1200–1500: I
  By W. P. KER, M.A., Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, Professor of English Literature, University College, London
  1. French Influences
  2. Benoit de Ste. More and Chrétien de Troyes
  3. Translators’ difficulties
  4. History of the English Romances
  5. Matter and Form
  6. The “matter of France,” “of Britain,” and “of Rome
  7. Sources and Subjects
  8. Forms of Verse
  9. Traditional Plots
  10. Breton Lays
  11. Fairy Tales
  12. Sir Gawayne and Sir Tristrem
  13. The Tale of Gamelyn and The Tale of Beryn
  14. Relation of Romances to Ballads
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
XIV. Metrical Romances, 1200–1500: II
  By J. W. H. ATKINS
  1. The Carolingian Element
  2. English Romances: Havelok, Horn, Guy of Warwick, Beves of Hamtoun
  3. The literature of Antiquity: Troy, King Alisaunder, Richard Cœur de Lion
  4. Oriental Fable: Flores and Blancheflour, The Seven Sages of Rome
  5. Celtic Romances
  6. The Gawain Cycle
  7. Ipomedon, Amis and Amiloun, Sir Cleges, Sir Isumbras, The Squire of Low Degree
  8. William of Palerne, etc.
  9. Anonymity of the work embodied in the Romances
  10. Qualities and Defects
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
XV. “Pearl,” “Cleanness,” “Patience” and “Sir Gawayne”
  By I. GOLLANCZ, Litt.D., Christ’s College, Professor of English Language and Literature, King’s College, London, Secretary of the British Academy
  1. Sources and Metre of Pearl
  2. Cleanness and Patience
  3. Sir Gawayne and the Grene Knight
  4. Sources of Sir Gawayne
  5. The Question of Authorship
  6. Hypothetical Biography of the Poet
  7. Ralph Strode
  8. Huchoun of the Awle Ryale
  9. Erkenwald, etc.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
XVI. Later Transition English
LEGENDARIES AND CHRONICLERS
  By CLARA L. THOMSON
  1. Robert of Gloucester
  2. Thomas Bek
  3. The South English Legendary
  4. Northern Homilies and Legends
  5. The Northern Psalter
  6. Cursor Mundi
  7. Robert Mannyng of Brunne’s Handlyng Synne
  8. Characteristics of Mannyng’s style
  9. Mannyng’s Debt to Wadington
  10. Mannyng’s Chronicle
  11. The Medytacyuns
  12. William of Shoreham
  13. The Ayenbite of Inwyt
  14. Adam Davy
  15. Laurence Minot
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
XVII. Later Transition English
SECULAR LYRICS; TALES; SOCIAL SATIRE (Further chapters on Fugitive Social Literature of the 14th and 15th centuries will be found in Vol. II.)
  By A. R. WALLER
  1. Middle English Lyrics
  2. The Proverbs of Hendyng
  3. The Deeds of Hereward
  4. The Land of Cokaygne
  5. Dame Siriz
  6. The Fox and the Wolf
  7. The Turnament of Totenham
  8. The Tale of Gamelyn
  9. Gesta Romanorum; John de Bromyarde; The Childhood of Jesus
  10. Political verses
  11. Songs of the Soil
  12. John Ball
  13. The Black Death
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
XVIII. The Prosody of Old and Middle English
  By GEORGE SAINTSBURY, M.A., Merton College, Oxford, Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature in the University of Edinburgh
  1. Old English Verse
  2. The Transition
  3. Foreign Influence
  4. The Alliterative Revival
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
XIX. Changes in the Language to the Days of Chaucer
  By HENRY BRADLEY, M.A., (Oxon.)
  1. Continuity of the English Language
  2. English” and “Saxon”; Periods of English
  3. Changes in Grammar
  4. Old English Grammar; Changes in Declension
  5. Conjugation in Middle English
  6. Influence of the Norman Conquest
  7. Pronunciation and Spelling
  8. Middle English Spelling
  9. Development of Sounds
  10. Changes in Vocabulary
  11. Words adopted from French
  12. Scandinavian Words in English
  13. Loss of Native Words
  14. The Poetical Vocabulary
  15. English Dialects in the Fourteenth Century
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
XX. The Anglo-French Law Language
  By the late F. W. MAITLAND, LL.D., Downing Professor of the Laws of England. (By permission of the Council of the Selden Society.)
Retention of French in the Courts and the Making of Legal Terms