Namangan davlat universiteti ingliz filologiyasi fakulteti amaliy ingliz tili kafedrasi

Fable and Fabliau 
In urban literature fables and fabliaux were also popular. Fable is a short tale or prolonged 
personification with animal characters intended to convey a moral truth; it’s a myth, a fiction, a 
falsehood. It’s a short story about supernatural or extraordinary persons or incidents. Fabliaux are 
funny metrical short stories about cunning humbugs and the unfaithful wives of rich merchants. 
These tales were popular in medieval France. These stories were told in the dialects of Middle 
English. They were usually comic, frankly coarse and often cynical. The urban literature did not 
idealize characters as the romances did. The fabliaux show a practical attitude to life. 
Questions and Tasks
 
1. In what languages did communication go in England in Norman period? 
2. What were the tales and verse in Norman period about? 
3. What did the term “romance” mean in the medieval period? 
4. What can you tell about Romances which were composed in the 12-13th centuries? 
4. Who collected the romances of King Arthur and what were they about? 
6. What is the difference between fables and fabliaux? 

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2-Mavzu. 
Development of English literature in middle ages. 
In the 14th century the Norman kings made London their residence. It became the most 
inhabited and busy town in England. (The London dialect was the central dialect, and could be 
understood throughout the country). Even peasants who wished to get free of their masters went to 
London. But the life in the country was miserable especially with the so-called Hundred Years’ 
War flamed by king Edward against France. There was another burden on people’s shoulders – rich 
foreign bishops of the Catholic Church, who did not care of people’s sufferings. The protest against 
the Catholic Сhurch and the growth of national feeling during the first years of the War found the 
reflection in literature. There appeared poor priests who wandered from one village to another and 
talked to the people. They protested not only against rich bishops but also against churchmen who 
were ignorant and could not teach people anything. Among poor priests were then acknowledged 
poets William Langland and John Wyclif.