Some aspects of the French element in the Middle English lyric

Abstract

The aim of this present study is to examine the characteristic features of the Middle English lyric, with a view to tracing its connection with the poetry of the Trouveres of Northern France. As the Religious Lyric has already been the subject of investigation, and seems to owe its origin almost entirely to Provencal and Latin models, it will not be examined in detail. Its later development, which is of a more popular character, seems to have been influenced to a considerable extent by secular poetry. The first section of the study will deal briefly with the Lyric poetry of France before the XIVth century. The second section will deal with Anglo Norman Lyric poetry, as being the earliest lyric poetry now extant, which was written in England. A third section will deal with the English lyric and quasilyric poetry of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Finally, the remaining sections will deal with the Lyrics of the Harleian MS. 2253, as typical of the early Middle English lyric poetry. Only the secular love songs found in this M.S. will be treated in detail as shewing most clearly traces of French influence, both as regards subject matter and versification.