The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-01-01
REPORT FOR CLASS A.
ENGLISH LITERATURE.

In taking up this subject will but glance at
the origin of this language. The English lam
guage prior to the Norman invasion and conquest
in the 18th century purely Germanic. This
conquest banished the English language from it's
courts of royalty and law, and from parliament,
school ard university for nearly three hundred
years. During all this time there were two lam
guages spoken in England: the Norman French was
the birth tongue of the upper classes and English
or Saxon of the lower And it would be but nat
ural to expect that during this time the two Ian
guages would gradually become amalgamated the
stronger intermngling with the weaker. so that
about the middle of the l4th century when the
English got the better of the struggle and became
the national speech of England it no longer
the English of King Alfred 1t had lost nearly
one half of its words and their places were filled
with French equivalents. During the time of the
Norman rule the learned and classical literature
was mostly Latin. and the society literature
French. while the lower classes used the mother
tongue. So we find the language at the COM
mencement of our subject by the constant inter-
mingling of the people from the various walks of
life. fairly established and an amalgamation of
several languages Anglo Saxon, Norman French
and Latin
During the 18th century English literature had
vigorous growth and that will be felt to the
end Of time, for it was during this period that
Chaucer appears. and with his ever vigorous and
untring pen makes his influence felt upon nations
yet unborn. Then we have John Wiclif who was the
first to translate the Bible into the English Ian.
guage so that in truth he was the first author of
the biblical dialect and the founder of that great
monument of noble English which had been the
main conservative influence in the mother tongue
hold-fast to many strong. pithy words and idioms
which would otherwise have been lost. Chaucer
and Wicif done more to establish and advance the
cause OF English literature than all who came be-
fore them. and may we'll be called the fathers of
English literature. Strange as it may seem. for
period of nearly two hundred years after the death
of Chaucer English literature remained in a state
OF lethargy and barrenness before any poet came
whose name can be written in the same line with
Chaucer's. He followed BY many imitators
who could copy his style. but lacked the genius to
make any fine use of it.
The next poet deserving of notice here~s spen.
GER whose writings vigorous and full of life
and at the same time there is softening in the
rythm inclnng more to melody He is followed
by the greatest and most enduring of poets Shakes.
peare. During this century, or what is known as
the Elzabethan Age, we have the great age of En-
glish literature. Here we have Spencer, Shakes.
peare, Milton and Dryden, poets who have made
their names immortal. and other writer's such as
Sidney. Raleigh and Sir Walter Scott. 1t is sad
when contemplate this, the greatest and most
brilliant age of English literature, that we find
the greatest and most brilliant light of the period
Il refer to Shakespeare) of such obscure origin
and his life and death so obscure that it should
leave doubts in the minds of some of our learned
men of letters as toithe authenticity of this au-
thor, giving other authors the credit of these
great works OF great mind. The only reason
that can be assigned for this obscureness in the
history of Shakespeare is the fact that these plays
were written by poor play-writer for the theater
to aniuse royalty who cared nothing for the
name of the lowly author and let him live and
die in obScurity. But his name will live and
shine in ali its respendant luster, living monu.
ment OF his greatness, when the names of royalty
are dim in the mistic haze that will surround
their history. GIVE.
A FEW QUOTATIONS GIVEN AT ROLL-CALL.
We learn TO live when life has passed.
Ambition.s the daughter of presumption.
The line of life is ragged diagonal between
duty and desire.
The freedom of thought that marks our day is
one of its noblest characteristics.
Old men like to give good advice to console
themselves for being no longer able to give bad
example.
Vice and danger bind,
In sad alliance, each degraded mind.
1t is not the deed
A man does, but the way that he does it. should
So; plead
For the mans compensation in doing it,
What a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive.