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UNIT 1: From Legend to History (AD 449 – 1485). Background – Anglo Saxon Culture. E xpert seafarers (sailors) who sail the ocean to raid or settle other lands Many converted to Christianity after 500’s - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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UNIT 1: From Legend to
History (AD 449 – 1485)
Background – Anglo Saxon Culture• Expert seafarers (sailors) who sail
the ocean to raid or settle other lands
• Many converted to Christianity after 500’s–But, kept a pagan belief in the power of
fate, and retold Germanic and Scandinavian tales of heroes and monsters
• Men dominated society, and women had few rights
Background – Anglo Saxon Culture (cont.)
• Anglo-Saxon warrior–Definition of home• Follower of a lord or king NOT as a
citizen of a nation–Loyalty goods (bread, fruit, riches
won in raids) and security
Background – Anglo-Saxon Literature
• Entertainment (5th – 11th Century)–Few were literate–No movies
Traveling storytellers (scops)*Memorized, adapted, and passed on
an oral tradition of stories and songs
Background – Anglo-Saxon Literature (cont.)
• The Exeter Book–Collection of texts that include pieces
from this oral tradition
–Put together by monks (~A.D. 871 – 899)
Anglo-Saxon Poetry - Themes
• Exile (a prolonged stay away from home that is forced upon the exiled person)– “The Seafarer” tells the tale of a sailor whose
passion for the sea causes him to undertake dangerous, lonely voyages.
– The struggles of a warrior who must find a new place in the world after his lord dies is described in “The Wanderer.”
– In “The Wife’s Lament,” a woman whose husband has sent her away describes her misfortune.
Lyric Poem
• Definition: A poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker
Anglo-Saxon lyrics
• Written for easy memorization and recitation
Elements of Anglo-Saxon Lyrics
1. Lines with regular rhythms, usually with 4 strong beats
2. Caesuras3. Kennings4. Assonance5. Alliteration
Caesuras
• Definition: Rhythmic breaks in the middle of lines, where the reciter can pause for breath
• Examples: ↓– Oft to the wanderer, weary of exile– Cometh God’s pity, compassionate love
↑
Kennings
• Definition: Two-word metaphorical phrase used in place of people, places, and things
• Example: – Sea = “whales’ home”– Lord = “gold-lord”– Sword = “wound-hoe”
Assonance
• Definition: The repetition of vowel sounds in unrhymed, stressed syllables
• Used to make the poem entertaining and memorable• Used to connect ideas • Example– “bAtter these rAmparts”– I, fInd– The silken sad uncERtain rustling of each pURple
cURtain
Alliteration
• The repetition of initial consonant sounds in accented syllables• Used to make the poem entertaining and
memorable• Used to connect ideas• Examples:– He, Who– Muse, Moldering– Sally sells sea shells down by the seashore.
Elegy
• A lyric poem mourning the loss of someone or something–The Seafarer–The Wanderer–The Wife’s Lament
• What did the speakers in this grouping of poems lose?
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