Matter of England
Encyclopedia
Matter of England, "romances of English heroes" and "romances derived from English legend" are terms that 20th century scholars have given to a loose corpus of Medieval literature
that in general deal with the locations, characters and themes concerning England
, English history or English cultural mores and which show some continuity between the poetry and myths of the pre-Norman or "Anglo-Saxon
" era of English history as well as themes motifs and plots deriving from English folklore
. The term Matter of England was coined in reference to the earlier Three Matters as termed by the French
author
Jean Bodel
; the Matter of Britain
(concerning King Arthur
and his knights), of France
(concerning Charlemagne
and his paladins) and of Rome
(retelling of tales from Greco-Roman antiquity
).
They are thought by scholars to derive features from the language and culture of the "low-born" parts of society and the emerging middle-classhttp://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/athelint.html. However such stories should not be seen as purely the domain of the English peasant
and yeoman
as most of these tales survive in Anglo-Norman
literary forms. The oldest surviving versions are in many cases written in Anglo-Norman
or Medieval Latin
albeit generally accepted in most cases to be originally from the English
tradition.
Though there is no one agreed upon list of romances that make up the matter, usually included are those of Athelston, Bevis of Hampton
, Fouke Fitzwarin
, Gamelyn, Guy of Warwick
, Havelock
, Horn Childe
or King Horn
, Richard coeur du lion and Waldef.
There is generally regarded to be some unease with the classification and the romances that are included under it. Some of the unease may be connected to the theory of Matter and the fact the three Matters of Bodel have an international status not matched by the Matter of England, regardless of the fact that individual heroes such as Bevis and Guy have tales in many languages across Europe. The Matter of England lacks a consistent narrative unlike the Matters of France, Britain and Rome that generally retain a continuity of setting and characters; the only characters to appear in more than one English tale are the historical kings Richard and Athelstan (who feature in their own tales; the aforementioned Athelston and Richard coeur du lion). Tales set in England did not have an introductory linking motif that connects them to other texts until the ballads of Robin Hood
. Likewise the setting isn't as recognisable as Arthurian Britain
or Charlemagne
's France
. The romances of the Matter of England start afresh at the beginning of each romance with a new hero introduced and are set in an era from that of "vaguely Anglo-Saxon" to anywhere up to the era in which the work was produced. They share only common themes and location of origin. Robert Rouse considered the Matter of England to include only those romances that were set before the Norman conquest of England thus making his list Bevis, Guy and Horn Childe.
The TEAMS edition of Four Romances of England gives the definition of the Matter of England as "late medieval romances based in part on the oral folk culture that survived the Norman Conquest.
Medieval literature
Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages . The literature of this time was composed of religious writings as well as secular works...
that in general deal with the locations, characters and themes concerning England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, English history or English cultural mores and which show some continuity between the poetry and myths of the pre-Norman or "Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
" era of English history as well as themes motifs and plots deriving from English folklore
English folklore
English folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in England over a number of centuries. Some stories can be traced back to their roots, while the origin of others is uncertain or disputed...
. The term Matter of England was coined in reference to the earlier Three Matters as termed by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Jean Bodel
Jean Bodel
Jean Bodel, who lived in the late twelfth century, was an Old French poet who wrote a number of chansons de geste as well as many fabliaux. He lived in Arras....
; the Matter of Britain
Matter of Britain
The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the body of literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and its legendary kings, particularly King Arthur...
(concerning King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
and his knights), of France
Matter of France
The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle, is a body of literature and legendary material associated with the history of France, in particular involving Charlemagne and his associates. The cycle springs from the Old French chansons de geste, and was later adapted into a variety of...
(concerning Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
and his paladins) and of Rome
Matter of Rome
According to the medieval poet Jean Bodel, the Matter of Rome was the literary cycle made up of Greek and Roman mythology, together with episodes from the history of classical antiquity, focusing on military heroes like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar...
(retelling of tales from Greco-Roman antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
).
They are thought by scholars to derive features from the language and culture of the "low-born" parts of society and the emerging middle-classhttp://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/athelint.html. However such stories should not be seen as purely the domain of the English peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
and yeoman
Yeoman
Yeoman refers chiefly to a free man owning his own farm, especially from the Elizabethan era to the 17th century. Work requiring a great deal of effort or labor, such as would be done by a yeoman farmer, came to be described as "yeoman's work"...
as most of these tales survive in Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman literature
Anglo-Norman literature is literature composed in the Anglo-Norman language developed during the period 1066–1204 when the Duchy of Normandy and England were united in the Anglo-Norman realm.-Introduction:...
literary forms. The oldest surviving versions are in many cases written in Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
or Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
albeit generally accepted in most cases to be originally from the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
tradition.
Though there is no one agreed upon list of romances that make up the matter, usually included are those of Athelston, Bevis of Hampton
Bevis of Hampton
Bevis of Hampton is a legendary English hero and the subject of Anglo-Norman, French, English, Venetian and other medieval metrical romances that bear his name...
, Fouke Fitzwarin
Fulk FitzWarin
Fulk FitzWarin was an English nobleman turned outlaw from Whittington Castle in Shropshire. The historical Fulk, or Fulk III FitzWarin, was a Marcher Lord who rebelled against King John from 1200 to 1203 over his familial right to the estate of Whittington...
, Gamelyn, Guy of Warwick
Guy of Warwick
Guy of Warwick is a legendary English hero of Romance popular in England and France from the 13th to the 17th century. The story of Sir Guy is considered by scholars to be part of the Matter of England.-Plot:...
, Havelock
Havelock
- People :* Havelock-Allan Baronets, holders of the Baronetcy* Sir Henry Havelock, , British general, active in India* Lieutenant General Sir Henry Havelock-Allan, 1st Baronet , British General, MP for Sunderland 1874–1881 and Durham South East 1885–1892 and 1895–1897 * Sir Henry...
, Horn Childe
King Horn
King Horn is a Middle English chivalric romance dating back to the middle of the thirteenth century. It survives in three manuscripts: MS. Harleian 2253 at the British Museum, London; MS. Laud. Misc 108 at the Bodleian Library, Oxford; and MS. Gg. iv. 27. 2 at the Cambridge University Library. It...
or King Horn
King Horn
King Horn is a Middle English chivalric romance dating back to the middle of the thirteenth century. It survives in three manuscripts: MS. Harleian 2253 at the British Museum, London; MS. Laud. Misc 108 at the Bodleian Library, Oxford; and MS. Gg. iv. 27. 2 at the Cambridge University Library. It...
, Richard coeur du lion and Waldef.
There is generally regarded to be some unease with the classification and the romances that are included under it. Some of the unease may be connected to the theory of Matter and the fact the three Matters of Bodel have an international status not matched by the Matter of England, regardless of the fact that individual heroes such as Bevis and Guy have tales in many languages across Europe. The Matter of England lacks a consistent narrative unlike the Matters of France, Britain and Rome that generally retain a continuity of setting and characters; the only characters to appear in more than one English tale are the historical kings Richard and Athelstan (who feature in their own tales; the aforementioned Athelston and Richard coeur du lion). Tales set in England did not have an introductory linking motif that connects them to other texts until the ballads of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. Likewise the setting isn't as recognisable as Arthurian Britain
Logres
Logres is the name of King Arthur's realm in the Matter of Britain. It derives from the Welsh word Lloegr, a name of uncertain origin meaning "England"....
or Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
's France
Chanson de geste
The chansons de geste, Old French for "songs of heroic deeds", are the epic poems that appear at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known examples date from the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries, nearly a hundred years before the emergence of the lyric poetry of the trouvères and...
. The romances of the Matter of England start afresh at the beginning of each romance with a new hero introduced and are set in an era from that of "vaguely Anglo-Saxon" to anywhere up to the era in which the work was produced. They share only common themes and location of origin. Robert Rouse considered the Matter of England to include only those romances that were set before the Norman conquest of England thus making his list Bevis, Guy and Horn Childe.
The TEAMS edition of Four Romances of England gives the definition of the Matter of England as "late medieval romances based in part on the oral folk culture that survived the Norman Conquest.
See also
- Anglo-Saxon mythology
- English literatureEnglish literatureEnglish literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
- Old English literature
- Middle English literatureMiddle English literatureThe term Middle English literature refers to the literature written in the form of the English language known as Middle English, from the 12th century until the 1470s, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, became widespread and the printing press regularized the language...
- Wade
- Weyland Smith