English

LiteratureChapter One:

Old English Literature

English Literature and

Language

600 AD-1100 Ad

Old English

1100 AD-1500 AD

Middle English

1500 AD-1950

Modern English

600 -1100 A.D.Old English language is also known as

Anglo-Saxon.

The People:Anglo Saxons were Teutonic tribes that came to the Roman Province of Britannia from Germany and France which was later called England. With them came several closely related Germanic languages that would evolve into Old English. They loved war and fought

fierce battles but enjoyed singing and merry-making.

Religion:

The Anglo-Saxons worshipped

pagan/heathen Gods like earth, heaven

and powers of nature. The doings of these

powers were made into mythical stories

and when a great hero arose, his history

also grew into a saga. This was the origin of

the old stories.

Literature:

Anglo Saxons were adventurous people

and hence their war songs are about

heathen gods and wars and nothing about

Christianity e.g. : The Battle of Maldon,

which tells us about the battle between the

Danish Pirates and Earl of Maldon.

Anglo Saxon Poetry

Characteristics and types:

Types: Anglo Saxon poetry consisted of personal

and Elegiac poems (sad poems written about

death), war songs, riddles, and epic poems.

Characteristics: These poems reflect their belief

in the importance of war, bravery, courage,

heroism, immortality, revenge and glorious

death. The description of sad events or cruel

situations are more common than happiness.

They strongly believed that fate determines all.

Famous Lines:

The following lines from The battle of Maldon

tells us about Anglo Saxon beliefs:

“The mind must be firmer, the heart must be

braver, the courage must be greater, as

our strength grows less. Here lies our lord, all

cut to pieces, the good man on the

ground. If anyone thinks now to turn away

from this war-play, may he be unhappy

ever after.”

What is an Elegy:

Elegy is a poem written in response to the

death of a person. The speaker expresses

grief and sorrow, then praise and

admiration of the dead, and finally

consolation and solace.

Example: W. H. Auden’s classic “In Memory

of W. B. Yeats"

What is an Epic?

An epic poem is very famous in old English

literature. It is a long, serious, poem that tells

a story about an important event like war,

often about adventures of a brave man

fighting an enemy in the battle field.

Some of the most famous examples of epic

poetry are the Ancient Greek Iliad and

the Odyssey, Dante's Divine Comedy, John

Milton's Paradise Lost.

What is a lyric?

A lyric is a poem originally meant to be

sung. It expresses a poet’s thoughts and

feelings. Old English lyrics examples are

Deor’s Complaint, The Wanderer and The

wife’s complaint.

Linguistic Characteristics: A very elevated linguistic style.

They used alliteration. An alliteration is two or more words beginning with the same sound. Example: "Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers".

They used rhyme. A rhyme is when two or more lines end with same sound. Example:

My cat likes to chase a mouse,

Especially one that’s in the house

They used metaphors to describe things.

Famous Works:

1. Beowulf: (Read Page 7-8)

The story of Beowulf: Why Beowulf is regarded as a hero?

Anglo Saxons loved war and bravery. In thepoem, Beowulf, a hero of the Geats inScandinavia, comes to the aid of King Hroðgar,the king of the Danes, whose mead hall (inHeorot) has been under attack by a monsterknown as Grendel. After Beowulf kills him,Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is thenalso defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes hometo Geatland in Sweden and later becomes kingof the Geats. After a period of fifty years,Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is fatallywounded in the battle. After his death, hisattendants bury him in a tumulus, a burialmound, in Geatland. Therfore, he is regarded ashero.

2. Genesis A and Genesis B

(Page 10)

Genesis B is concerned with the beginning

of the world and the fall of the angels. It is a

good piece of writing. The poet has

enjoyed describing hell.

Genesis A is dull and little more than old

history taken from bible and put into poor

old English verse.

3. Cynewulf’s poems

Cynewulf wrote four poems: Juliana, The

fates of the Apostles, Christ and Elene. His

poems are religious and probably written in

the later eight century. A few lines from his

poems predicted his death:

“Now are my days in their appointed time gone

away. My life-joys have disappeared, as water runs

away.”

Who was Caedmon?Caedmon was a poor man who looked after animals at Whitby, a monastery founded in 657 by St. Hilda and was illiterate. One night an angel came in his dream and told him to sing praises of God. Caedmon refused, claiming that he could not sing. But the visitor would not go. He requested that Caedmon sing of the God’s creation. To Caedmon's surprise, he sang beautifully in praise of God. It was from this divine inspiration that Caedmon began to write religious poetry.

Who was King Alfred-the

Great ?

King Alfred was the king was King of Wessexfrom 871 to 899.

Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself "King of the Anglo-Saxons". Alfred studied, and even translated from Latin into Old English, certain works that were regarded at the time as models of ideal Christian kingship and ‘most necessary for all men to know’. He improved education of his people and established first English public schools.

Old English Prose:

Aelfric was a prose writer of Old English era.

His works such as Homilies and Lives of Saints

were religious. He translated Bible into old

English. He uses alliteration to join

sentences and his prose is he best n Old

English.

Questions:

1. Two notable characteristics of Anglo-

Saxon poetry are?

A) Use of rhyme only

B) Use of alliteration and rhymes

C) Use of metaphor only

D) Use of rhyme and music

2. The Anglo Saxons believed in:

A) A hero's death

B) The fate that determines all

C) Loyalty to one's lord

D) the supreme god

3. The first English "public schools" were

founded by?

A) Caedmon

B) Beowulf

C) Alfred the Great

D) Aelfric

4. The Anglo-Saxon period is generally

considered to date from?

A) 55 B.C. to 43 A.D.

B) 1 A.D. to 449 A.D.

C) 600 to 1100

D) 1066 to 178

5. Who saw an angel in his dream?

A) King Alfred

B) Caedmon

C) Aelfric

D) Anglo Saxons

6. Cynewulf did not write:

1. Juliana

2. Christ

3. Elene

4. Beowulf

7.Which of the following is a lyric?

1. Lives of Saints

2. The Battle of Maldon

3. The Wife’s Complaint

4. The Apostles

8. "Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled

Peppers“ is an example of:

1. Rhyme

2. Alliteration

3. Metaphor

4. Prose

Short Answer Questions:

1. What is an elegy? Give examples.

2. Define a lyric? Give examples.

3. Explain what is an epic. Give examples.

4. What are the characteristics and types

of Anglo Saxon poetry?

5. What were the beliefs of Anglo Saxons?

6. What are the linguistic characteristics of

Old English poetry?

7. Who was King Alfred the great?

8. Why is Beowulf regarded as hero?