Category Archives: Age of Chaucer

Pre-Elizabethan Drama: Morality Plays

Posted on February 4, 2019 by

Previously, I did a piece on Liturgical Drama. Today I would like to look at Moralities. As compared to the Miracle or Liturgical dramas, the morality play was one where the playwright had to come up with an original story … Continue reading →

Posted in acting, Age of Chaucer, Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Saxons, British history, drama, medieval, playwrights, Vagary | Tagged , , , , ,

English Drama and the Origins of Censorship

Posted on August 22, 2018 by

Of late, on social media we have been bombarded with what is termed “obscenities.” We writers are often accused by “reviewers” of writing obscenities or sexually explicit scenes when in our estimations, we are writing PG scenes. The problem is … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, British history, Church of England, drama, kings and queens, playwrights, religion | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

UK “Real” Estate: Coggeshall Abbey in Essex

Posted on April 27, 2018 by

In 1140, Coggeshall Abbey was founded by King Stephen and his wife Matilda as a Sauvignac Abbey.. It was designed to house the monks of the Savigniac order. The earliest English use of bricks as building materials can be found … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Saxons, British history, buildings and structures, history | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Mappa Mundi, the World’s Largest Medieval Map

Posted on August 9, 2017 by

Housed in the Hereford Cathedreal, the Mappa Mundi is believed to the be the world’s largest medieval map. England specialized in world maps of the Middle Ages. They were drawn upon cloth or walls or animal skins.  Only those who … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Age of Chaucer, British history, buildings and structures, Church of England, medieval, real life tales | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

John Heywood, England’s First Great Dramatist

Posted on August 3, 2017 by

We know little of John Heywood’s life, other than the year of his birth, which was 1497. Likely, he was once served as a choir boy in the Chapel Royale and then studied at Oxford as a King’s Scholar. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, British history, drama, kings and queens, playwrights, poetry, political stance, theatre | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Ceremony of Quit Rents

Posted on May 11, 2017 by

Have you ever heard of this tradition? The Ceremony of Quit Rents is the oldest legal ceremony in England (other than the coronation). It occurs between St Michael’s Day (October 11) and St Martin’s Day (November 11). On October 17, … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, kings and queens, Living in the UK | Tagged , , , , , ,

Celebrating the Re-Release of “Darcy’s Passions: Pride and Prejudice Retold Through His Eyes” + Giveaway

Posted on April 20, 2017 by

During the 2007-2008 school year, I complained to my Advanced Placement Language class about a particular novel, what we would now call Jane Austen Fan Fiction (JAFF). The story, although well written, was historically inaccurate in the situations presented. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, Austen Authors, book excerpts, book release, books, eBooks, marriage, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, Regency romance, Vagary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Do You Know The Origin of These Words and Phrases?

Posted on June 16, 2016 by

Three Sheets to the Wind – Urban Dictionary defines this phrase to mean “to be explicitly drunk; inebriated.” The origin is likely found in practicality: Sheets actually refer to the ropes that are used to secure a ship’s sail. If the … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, Canterbury tales, etymology, history, Jane Austen, real life tales, tall tales, word choices, word origins, word play, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Origin of the Drama – Everyman and The Second Shepherd’s Play

Posted on April 11, 2016 by

Morality Plays, those in which the characters were allegorical persons would attempt to drive home a moral. They provided more scope to the imagination for new plots and incidents and afforded a  chance for delineation of characters. (For more information … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Saxons, British history, Chaucer, Church of England, drama, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Thomas Malory’s “Morte D’Arthur” Part II

Posted on February 11, 2016 by

Previously, I posted a detailed summary of Books 1 and 2 or Malory’s “Morte D’Arthur.” Today, I have chosen bits of the other books to discuss. Book XIII: This is the beginning of the Holy Grail legend. Arthur and his … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Saxons, ballads, British history, Canterbury tales, Great Britain, legacy, legends and myths, medieval, reading, religion, romance, romantic verse, Uncategorized | 1 Comment