LITERATURE A 2014 PROF. CECI LIA KENNEDY, M. A .

Old English Period

Time Span

5 century to 1150 Doesn’t conclude with Norman Conquest

(1066)

Literary Features

1) PAGAN ORIGINS: As time went on, Christian ideas influenced

earlier pagan onesImpossible to refer to any extant poetry as

“pagan” (NB: manuscripts written down in

monasteries)

2) ANONYMOUS ORIGINS: Direct mention of only one poet: CaedmonName of Cynewulf known because he signed

poems in runic lettera at the end of 4 poems Prose: Came laterUsed for practical purposesAuthorship established in many cases

3)IMITATIVE QUALITY :Much prose and some poetry translated or adapted from Latin Favorite books for translation: books of the Bible, lives of saints

4) THE MANUSCRIPTS:Oral Tradition !!!Late in dateUniqueFour still exist: a) Beowulf (at the British Museum)b) Junius MS (at Bodleian, Oxford): contains

Caedmonian poemsc) Exeter Book (at Exeter cathedral): signed poems of

Cynewulfd) Vercelli Book: 2 signed poems of Cynewulf and

Andreas and The Dream of the Rood

Old English Language

Characteristics: Difficulty Vocabulary: Mainly native Some borrowing from LatinGrammar: Declinable nouns, pronouns, adjs elaborate verbal system 4 main dialects: Northumbrian, Mercian, Kentish, West Saxon (language of king Alfred, in which almost all extant texts are preserved)

Old English Poetry

Beowulf: Considered greatest single work of Old English

literature It is the story of a Scandinavian (Geat) “thane” (warrior

or knight) who comes to help a neighboring tribe, the Danes, who are being attacked by a monster.

No evidence of actual authorship Reworking of older material by a Christian In West Saxon Strongly rhythmical verse Alliterative Genre: Heroic epic poem

Prose

1) King Alfred: father of English prose Began series of translations of texts in Latin

due to lamentable state of English learning Encouraged education

Alfred The Great

Alfred the Great (871-899) encouraged education

Had books translated from Latin to EnglishPastoral CareBede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English

PeopleThe Consolation of PhilosophySermon to the English

Prose

2) Aelfric: Extant works: Catholic homilies, lives of the

saints, translations from Scriptures

Prose

3) Wulfstan: Several signed homilies survive

Prose

4) The Anglo Chronicle: Probably inspired by Alfred Style: varies greatly from simple notices to long passages

of narrative and description