Appendix 1: Examination paper 2010

Time allowed: three hours

Answer THREE questions, ONE from EACH section (all three questions carry equal marks). Candidates may NOT discuss the same text in more than one answer, whether in this paper or in any other part of your examination.

You are free to consider the General Prologue or any one individual tale within the Canterbury Tales as a single work. You may also consider individual books within the Morte Darthur as single works, if you wish.

Section A

  1. 1. Choose TWO of the following passages, and answer as directed.
  2. a)

Comment on the style and content of the following passage and its effectiveness in its narrative context:

Another day this creatur schuld geve hir to medytacyon, as sche was bodyn befor, and sche lay stylle, nowt knowyng what sche myght best thynke. Than sche seyd to ower Lord Jhesu Crist, ‘Jhesu, what schall I thynke?’ Ower Lord Jhesu answeryd to hir mende, ‘Dowtyr, thynke on my modyr, for sche is cause of alle the grace that thow hast.’ And than anoon sche saw Seynt Anne gret wyth chylde, and than sche preyd Seynt Anne to be hir mayden and hir servawnt. And anon ower Lady was born, and than sche besyde hir to take the chylde to hir and kepe it tyl it wer twelve yer of age wyth good mete and drynke, wyth fayr whyte clothys and whyte kerchys. And than sche seyd to the blyssed chyld, ‘Lady, ye schal be the modyr of God.’ The blyssed chyld answeryd and seyd, ‘I wold I wer worthy to be the handmayden of hir that schuld conseive the sone of God.’ The creatur seyd, ‘I pray yow, Lady, yyf that grace falle yow, forsake not my servyse.’ The blysful chylde passyd awey for a certeyn tyme, the creatur being stylle in contemplacyon, and sythen cam ageyn and seyd, ‘Dowtyr, now am I bekome the modyr of God.’ And than the creatur fel down on hir kneys wyth gret reverens and gret wepyng and seyd, ‘I am not worthy, Lady, to do yow servyse.’ ‘Yys, dowtyr,’ sche seyd, ‘folwe thow me, thi servyse lykyth me wel.’ Than went sche forth wyth owyr Lady and wyth Joseph, beryng wyth hir a potel of pyment and spycys therto. Than thei went forth to Elysabeth, Seynt John Baptystys modir, and, whan thei mettyn togyder, eythyr of hem worshepyd other, and so thei wonyd togedyr wyth gret grace and gladnesse twelve wokys.

(MARGERY KEMPE, from The Book of Margery Kempe)

  1. b)

Comment on the style and content of the following passage and its effectiveness in its narrative context:

At mete wel ytaught was she with alle;

She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle,

Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe;

Wel koude she carie a morsel and wel kepe

That no drope ne fille upon hire brest.

In curteisie was set ful muchel hir lest.

Hir over-lippe wiped she so clene

That in hir coppe ther was no ferthyng sene

Of grece, whan she drunken hadde hir draughte.

Ful seemly after hir mete she raughte.

And sikerly she was of greet desport,

And ful plesaunt, and amiable of port,

And peyned hire to countrefete cheere

Of court, and to been estatlich of manere,

And to ben holden digne of reverence.

But for to speken of hire conscience,

She was so charitable and so pitous

She wolde wepe, if that she saugh a mous

Kaught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde.

Of smale houndes hadde she that she fedde

With rosted flesh, or milk and wastel-breed.

(GEOFFREY CHAUCER, from the General Prologue)

  1. c)

Comment on the form, style and content of this medieval lyric, considering how representative it is of the genre:

Herfor and therfor and therfor I came

And for to praysse this praty woman.

Ther wer thre wylly, thre wyly ther wer:

A fox, a fryer and a woman.

Herfor and therfor and therfor I came

And for to praysse this praty woman.

Ther wer thre angry, thre angry ther wer:

A wasp, a wesyll and a woman.

Herfor and therfor and therfor I came

And for to praysse this praty woman.

Ther wer thre cheteryng, thre cheteryng ther wer:

A peye, a jaye and a woman.

Herfor and therfor and therfor I came

And for to praysse this praty woman.

Ther wer thre wold be betyn, thre wold be betyn ther wer:

A myllston, a stocke fysche and a woman.

Herfor and therfor and therfor I came

And for to praysse this praty woman.

  1. d)

Comment on the style and content of the following passage and its effectiveness in its narrative context:

Grit fule is he that puttis in dangeir

His lyfe, his honour, ffor ane thing off nocht;

Grit fule is he that will not glaidlie heir

Counsall in tyme, quhill it availl him mocht;

Grit fule is he that hes na thing in thocht

Bot thing present, and efter quhat may fall

Nor off the end hes na memoriall.

Thir small birdis ffor hunger famischit neir,

Full besie scraipand ffor to seik thair fude,

The counsall off the Swallow wald not heir,

Suppois thair labour did thame lytill gude.

Quhen scho thair fulische hartis understude

Sa Indurate, up in ane tre scho flew;

With that this Churll over thame his Nettis drew.

Allace! It wes grit hart for to se

That bludie Bowcheour beit thay birdis doun,

And ffor to heir, quhen thay wist weill to de,

Thair cairfull sang and lamentatioun.

Sum with ane staf he straik to eirth on swoun;

Off sum the heid he straik, off sum he brak the crag,

Sum half on lyfe he stoppit in his bag.

(ROBERT HENRYSON, from The Moral Fables)

  1. e)

Comment on the style and content of the following passage and its effectiveness in its narrative context:

‘Moste noble knyght, my lorde sir Launcelot, now hath dethe made us two at debate for your love. And I was your lover, that men called the Fayre Maydyn of Astolate. Therfore unto all ladyes I make my mone, yet for my soule ye pray and bury me at the leste, and offir ye my masse-peny: thys ys my laste requeste. And a clene maydin I dyed, I take God to wytnesse. And pray for my soule, sir Launcelot, as thou art pereles.’

This was all the substaunce in the lettir. And whan it was rad the kynge, the quene and all the knyghtes wepte for pité of the dolefull complayntes. Than was sir Launcelot sente for, and whan he was com kynge Arthure made the lettir to be rad to hym. And whan sir Launcelot harde hit worde by worde, he seyde,

‘My lorde Arthur, wyte you well I am ryght hevy of the deth of thys fayre lady. And God knowyth I was never causer of her deth be my wyllynge, and that wol I reporte me unto her owne brothir that here ys, sir Lavayne. I woll nat say nay,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘but that she was both fayre and good, and much was I beholdyn unto her, but she loved me oute of mesure.’

‘Sir,’ seyde the quene, ‘ye myght have shewed hir som bownté and jantilnes whych myght have preserved hir lyff.’

‘Madame,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘she wolde none other wayes be answerde but that she wolde be my wyff othir ellis my paramour, and of thes two I wolde not graunte her. But I proffird her, for her good love that she shewed me, a thousand pound yerely to her and to her ayres, and to wedde ony maner of knyght that she coude fynde beste to love in her harte. For, madame,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘I love nat to be constrayned to love, for love muste only aryse of the harte selff, and nat by none constraynte.’

(SIR THOMAS MALORY, from Morte Darthur)

  1. f)

Comment on the style and content of the following passage and its effectiveness in its narrative context:

And on a day he seighe him biside

Sexti levedis on hors ride,

Gentil and jolif as brid on ris,

Nought a man amonges hem ther nis.

And ech a faucon on hond bere,

And riden a-hawking by a rivere.

Of game thay founde wel gode haunt,

Maulardes, hayroun, and cormeraunt;

The foules of the water ariseth,

The faucons hem wel deviseth —

Ech faucon his prey slough.

That seighe Orfeo, and lough;

‘Parfay!’ quath he, ‘ther is fair game,

Thider ich wil, bi Godes name!

Ich was y-won swiche werk to se.’

He aros, and thider gan te.

To a levedi he was y-come,

Biheld, and hath wel undernome,

And se-th by al thing that it is

His owhen Quen, Dam Herodis.

Yern he biheld hir, and she him eke,

Ac noither to other a word no speke.

For messais that she on him seighe,

That had ben so riche and so heighe,

The teres fel out of her eiye.

(ANON, from Sir Orfeo)

  1. g)

Comment on the style and content of the following passage and its effectiveness in its dramatic context:

I FILIUS: Thise floodis ar gone, fader, behold.

II FILIUS: Ther is left right none, and that be ye bold.

III FILIUS: As still as a stone oure ship is stold.

NOE: Apon land here anone that we were, fayn I wold;

My childer dere,

Sem, Japhet, and Cam,

With gle and with gam,

Com go we all sam;

We will no longer abide here.

UXOR: Here have we beyn, Noy, long enogh,

With tray and with teyn, and dreed mekill wogh.

NOE: Behald on this grene! Nowder cart ne plogh,

Is left, as I weyn, nowder tre then bogh,

Ne other thyng,

Bot all is away;

Many castels, I say,

Grete townes of aray,

Flitt has this flowyng.

UXOR: Thise floodis not afright all this warld so wide

Has mevid with myght on se and bi side.

NOE: To dede ar thai dyght, prowdist of pryde,

Ever ich a wyght that ever was spyde,

With syn,

All ar thai slayn,

And put unto payn.

UXOR: From thens agayn

May thai never wyn?

NOE: Wyn? No, i-wis, bot he that myght hase

Wold myn of thare mys, and admytte thaym to grace;

As he in bayll is blis, I pray hym in this space,

In heven hye with his to purvaye us a place,

That we,

With his santis in sight,

And his angels bright,

May com to his light:

Amen, for charite.

Explicit processus Noe, sequitur Abraham.

(ANON, from The Wakefield [‘Towneley’] Play of Noah)

Section B

Answer ONE question.

  1. 2. To what extent are powerful women depicted as threatening in medieval literature? You should confine your discussion to one work (except in the case of lyrics, where two or three individual poems may be considered).
  2. 3. What is the function of comedy in medieval literature, other than to amuse? You should confine your discussion to one work (or any two or three lyrics).
  3. 4. How intense and/or varied is medieval satire? You should confine your discussion to one work (or any two or three lyrics).
  4. 5. Discuss the treatment of one of the following in any one work of the period (or in any two or three lyrics): the polarities of good and evil; the natural world; magic.
  5. 6. Discuss the nature of courtly behaviour in the work of any one medieval writer (or any two or three lyrics).
  6. 7. How are generic expectations aroused and how far are they satisfied in the work of any one medieval writer (or any two or three lyrics)?
  7. 8. To what effect does any one medieval writer incorporate philosophical and/or lyrical interludes?
  8. 9. Discuss the depiction of heaven and/or hell in medieval literature. You should confine your discussion to one work (or any two or three lyrics).
  9. 10. Allegory was the way the medieval mind characteristically worked; it was a way of seeing; by its means what was dimly thought or felt was made visible, the abstract made concrete, the barely intelligible made imaginable and so more clearly intelligible’ (JOHN SPEIRS). Discuss. You should confine your discussion to one work (or any two or three lyrics).

Section C

Answer ONE question. Your answer in this section should refer to AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT authors.

  1. 11. ‘Individuals are dependent on and drawn to the community and at the same time antisocial and antagonistic to its interests’ (ELIZABETH T. POCHODA). Discuss the relationship between the individual and society in any two medieval texts.
  2. 12. Discuss how any two writers explore and exploit effects of narrative expansion and/or compression.
  3. 13. Discuss the treatment of one of the following in medieval literature: the Bible; Classical mythology; music.
  4. 14. By what means and to what effect do medieval writers evoke empathy and/or sympathy?
  5. 15. How far would you agree that heroes in medieval literature are defined by the nature of their adversaries?
  6. 16. Consider the representation and significance of one of the following in medieval literature: motherhood; forgiveness; laughter.
  7. 17. ‘Through the lens of nostalgia, the past can pose a significant challenge to the present’ (BARBARA FUCHS).
    Consider the use of the past in medieval literature.