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Old English literary works include genres such as epic poetry, hagiography, sermons, Bible translations, legal works, chronicles, riddles and others. In all there are about 400 surviving manuscripts from the period, a significant corpus of both popular interest and specialist research.
The most famous works from this period include the poem Beowulf, which has achieved national epic status in Britain. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of important early English history. Cædmon's Hymn from the 7th century is the earliest attested literary text in English.
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∙ 11y ago
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∙ 12y agoAnglo-Saxon Outline I. The Anglo-Saxon Heritage
A.Time Period
1.) the Anglo-saxon period spans 6 centuries
2.) most of the time during the "Dark Ages"
3.) barbarians roamed, lots of bloody conflicts
4.) also a time for creativity - Arts and Crafts
5.) communication came later between Britain and the rest of Europee
B. Religion
1.) pagan practices gave way to Christianity
2.) English emerged as a language
II. Britain Before the Anglo-Saxons
A. Early Britains
1.) occupied Britain when Julius Caesar visited in 55 BC, mostly just Celtic tribes.
2.) began to invade the island about 600 BC
B. Roman Power and Influence on the Britains 1.) roman s dominated the Britains driving some groups to Wales and to Scotland. The others were made slaves
2.) Within 25 years tribes began to integrate and live everday lives.
C. Romans' Architecture and Government plans
1.) built military fortress Hadrians wall to the North
2.) brought a system of law and unity to Britain
3.) also planted seeds of a religion that spread
D. End of Roman Rule in Britain 1.) 410 AD Rome was sacked by Germanic tribes and Romans left Britain to go home and protect Rome.
III. The Germanic Invasions A. The Jutes 1.) a germanic tribe from the Danish pennisula were first to arrive and conquer the province of kent in AD 449
2.) the jutes were followed by the Saxons and the angles.
3.) the 3 tribes destroyed the roman civilization and either enslaved the Briatins or pushed them into the North and West in the highlands.
B. Britains Put Up a Fight
1.) Britains in the southeast were weak and couldn't put up a fight.
2.) In the 5th or 6th century a Celtic chief won a minor victory over the Saxons before being driven West; this might have been King Arthur.
C. The beginning of the Anglo-Saxons and England
1.) infiltration of tribes went on for over a hundred years. By 6th century people known as Anglo-Saxons.
2.) the culture was the base for "Angle-Land" or England.
3.) their language is now known as Old English
IV. Anglo-Saxon Society
A. The Anglo-Saxon Outlook
1.) fatalistic outlook, life was a struggle to be endured, evil and death inescapable and fame was immortality.
2.) Religion was a system of gods and heros with few priests, formal rituals and no hierarchial organizaion.
B. The Angl-Saxons finally adapted to Christianity.
V. The Establishment of Christianity
A. Missionaries
1.) first arrived around AD 300
2.) king Arthelburt converted to Christianity. He was baptized by archbishop Augustine of Canterbury.
B. Influence of Roman Church
1.) Celtic christians in the north didn't recognize the Pope. Looked to Irish monks who'd given them Christianity.
2.) representatives of Celtic and roman churches met at Whitby Abby in Yorkshire in AD 664 to settle disputes. Outcome - Britain became a province of the Roman Catholic church and this joined them to the rest of Europe's system.
VI. The Church as a Cultural Force
A. The influence of the church modified Anglo-Saxon laws. Clergy and nobles began to use contracts.
B. Monastaries
1.) used for a refuge for travelers, scholars, and the sick.
2.) imported books and copied them
3.) greatest monk - verable bede (673-735)
a.) author of Ecclesiastical History of English
b.) known as "father of English history"
VII The Danish Invasions and King Alfred
A. Danes or Vikings
1.) pillaged monastaries in late 8th and 9th centuries destroying manuscripts.
2.) Alfred the great led successful campaign against Danes
B. During King Alfred's time, English was septematically recorded as a series of chronicles, the first historical records kept in English.
VIII Anglo-Saxon Literature
A. Portrayed Germanic people with bleak environment, heroic struggles where only strong survived.
B. Anglo-Saxon were very serious minded and readers find little humor in their literature.
C. Oral tradition was the earliest expression of literary expression
1.) gathered in "mead halls" where kings celebrated with feasts.
2.) Sometimes the king would sing of his adventures.
D. Virtually all literature of Anglo-Saxon period dates from christian times
E. Beowulf represents most popluar Anglo-Saxon poetic form, the heroic epic.
F. "Seafarer" was written in elegiac lyric, one of the few Anglo-Saxon poems surviving.
G. Poems by monks such as: Cardmon and Cynewulf deal with subjects from the Bible; similar to Anglo-Saxon oral tradition.
H. Prose
1.) Anglo-Saxon chronicle initiated 9th century by King Alfred
2.) Aelfric - sumons translated and used to teach Christianity.
3.) colloquoy - provide a unique view of ordinary Anglo-Saxon working people.
IX Sutton Hoo: An Archaelogical Treasure
A. British archaelogists found a ship dating from the mid 7th century AD in an ancient burial ground at Sutton Hoo in 1939.
B. The Ship
1.) measures 86 feet long and 14 feet in the beam
2.) Its 6 feet longer than any other Viking ship ever found.
C. Burial ground contained - shields, buckles and drinking horns. All the ornaments were decorated with jewels. They are some of the most valuable antiques ever dug from British soil.
X Old English
A. Only true global language
B. Mother tongue of 300 million and in countries 115 of globe.
C. Truly and international language
XI The Indo - European Base for English
A. English can be tracked back to Indo European most prehistoric language.
B. Distinct languages that evolved from Indo-European Latin, Greek, Germanic languages of Northern Europe.
XII The Germanic Roots of English
A. During Roman rule of Britain poor spoke - Celtic, Rick spoke - Latin
B. Angles, Saxons and Jutes Germanic language became the basis for English
C. Most powerful tribe angles gave its name to the language angleish or English.
XIII Old English in Perspective
A. It was the language spoken in England from 449 - 1066
B. Old English and Modern English read differently
XIV The Germanic Heritage
A. Formed new words by compounding rather than borrowing.
B. Stong in Germanic grammar
XV The Scandinavian Influence
A. Language didn't make much change when Danes invaded however many new words from Old Norse.
B. Contributed nouns, verbs and pronouns
XVI The Latin Influence
A. Introduced by missionaries in 597
B. Latin used in church was influential
C. Borrowed many latin words
XVII The Enduring Heritage of Old English
A. Old English changed and altered forever after Norman conquest in 1066
B. Would be impossible to speak today without words from Old English
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What is old English in literary terms?
Anglo-Saxon literature, the literary writings in Old English.
What is Anglo- American literature?
Anglo-American literature usually refers to books written by English or American authors, though is sometimes used more generally to refer to any written work produced by the English-speaking world.
True or false - The beginning of English literature can be traced to the influence of the Catholic Church and the Anglo-Saxons?
true
What was the name of a famous old English poem from the Anglo saxon period?
Beowulf.
What are the contribution of the common people to old English literature?
Old English literature encompasses literature written in Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon), during the 600-year Anglo-Saxon period of England, from the mid-5th century to the Norman Conquest of 1066. These works include genres such as epic poetry, hagiography, sermons, Bible translations, legal works, chronicles, riddles, and others. In all there are about 400 surviving manuscripts from the period, a significant corpus of both popular interest and specialist research.Most texts were written and compiled in theme books for monasteries and courts. And where we encounter such poems like The Wife's Lament or The Husband's Answer, we must not assume that these were composed by 'common people'.It also remains to be seen how much the common people have done in increasing the popularity of old English literature.
How many ages are there in English literature?
English literature is typically divided into different periods or ages. The common division includes the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) period, the Middle English period, the Renaissance period, the Neoclassical period, the Romantic period, the Victorian period, the Modernist period, and the Postmodern period. This division helps to categorize literary works based on the time in which they were written and the characteristics of the writing during those periods.
What is old English in literary terms?
Anglo-Saxon literature, the literary writings in Old English.
What is Anglo literature?
Anglo-American literature usually refers to books written by English or American authors, though is sometimes used more generally to refer to any written work produced by the English-speaking world.
What is a Famous old English poem from Anglo Saxon?
One famous Old English poem from the Anglo-Saxon period is "Beowulf." It is an epic poem that tells the story of a hero named Beowulf who battles monsters and dragons to protect his people. "Beowulf" is considered one of the most important works of Old English literature.
What is Anglo- American literature?
Anglo-American literature usually refers to books written by English or American authors, though is sometimes used more generally to refer to any written work produced by the English-speaking world.
During which period was the famous epic poem Beowulf written?
Beowulf is believed to have been composed between the 8th and 11th centuries, during the Anglo-Saxon period in England. The exact date of its creation is unknown, but it is one of the oldest surviving works of Old English literature.
What has the author Dorothy Whitelock written?
Dorothy Whitelock has written: 'The Old English Bede' -- subject(s): Historiography, History 'English Historical Documents' -- subject(s): Anglo-Saxon history 'From Bede to Alfred' -- subject(s): English literature, Civilization, Anglo-Saxon, in literature, Civilization, Medieval, in literature, Anglo-Saxons, History and criticism, History 'Anglo-Saxon wills' -- subject(s): Anglo-Saxons, English language, Law, Medieval, Medieval Law, Sources, Texts, Wills 'Norman Conquest' -- subject(s): History 'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles' 'English historical documents, c. 500-1042' -- subject(s): Sources, History 'History, law, and literature in 10th-11th century England' -- subject(s): History, Law, Anglo-Saxon, Normans
What has the author Nicholas Howe written?
Nicholas Howe has written: 'Yale Guide to Old English Literature' 'The old English catalogue poems' -- subject(s): Catalogs in literature, Civilization, Anglo-Saxon, in literature, Civilization, Medieval, in literature, English poetry, History and criticism, Lists in literature
The epic Beowulf was composed in the language of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain?
Yes, Beowulf is an epic poem that was composed in Old English, the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons in Britain in the early medieval period. It is one of the most famous works of Old English literature and remains a significant piece of early English literature.
Which event marked the end of Anglo Saxon period?
The Anglo-Saxon period of English history ended with the Norman conquest in 1066.
What is the syllabus of MA in English for the jnu entrance examination?
It's English literature from Anglo Saxon to Modern....Indian writers in English is often asked
What has the author C L Wrenn written?
C. L. Wrenn has written: 'Word and symbol' -- subject(s): English philology, Addresses, essays, lectures 'W. B. Yeats' -- subject(s): In literature, Criticism and interpretation 'Word and symbol: studies in English language' -- subject(s): English philology 'A study of Old English literature' -- subject(s): Anglo-Saxons, Civilization, Anglo-Saxon, in literature, Civilization, Medieval, in literature, English literature, History and criticism, Intellectual life, Intellectual life.
