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Old English Literature
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- 2. Old English isthe term used to refer to the language literature spoken and written in England during the rule of the Anglo-Saxons.
- 3. Old English isthe language and Literature of the Anglo-Saxon Anglo-Saxon ruled England from 450 AD to 1066 Old English is directly related to modern English (Many of the modern words came from old English) Old English was first oral (with runic inscriptions) then used alphabets writing on manuscripts. Old English Literature
- 4. • Strong beliefin fate • Juxtaposition of the church and pagan worlds • Admiration of heroic warriors who prevail in battle • Express religious faith and give moral instruction through literature CONTENT
- 5. Style / Genres ♠Oraltradition of literature ♠Poetry is the dominant genre ♠Unique forms includes: o Caesura o Alliteration o Repetition
- 6. Key Literature: Authors •Beowulf • Exeter Book • The Venerable Bede URSULA HUANCAS DONAYRE
- 7. Why is OldEnglish Important? It shows us where English comes from and how it relates to other language It tells about bout the history, society and geography of England.
- 9. A Brief Glimpseof the History of English from “Our Father” OLD ENGLISH 400- 1066 Beowulf Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum si þin nama gehalgod tobecume þin rice gewurþe þin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofonum urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg and forgyf us ure gyltas swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge ac alys us of yfele soþlice. Middle English 1066- 1485 Chaucer Oure fadir þat art in heuenes halwid be þi name; þi reume or kyngdom come to be. Be þi wille don in herþe as it is doun in heuene. yeue to us today oure eche dayes bred. And foryeue to us oure dettis þat is oure synnys as we foryeuen to oure dettouris þat is to men þat han synned in us. And lede us not into temptacion but delyuere us from euyl. Early Modern English 1485- 1800 Shakes-peare Our father which art in heauen, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen. Giue us this day our daily bread. And forgiue us our debts as we forgiue our debters. And lead us not into temptation, but deliuer us from euill. Amen. Modern English 1800- present Austen Extra Credit! Write “The Our Father” in Modern English.
- 10. The time periodof about 500-1100AD in British history was characterized by foreign invasions and internal struggles. This resulted in the mixing of several races, tongues and cultures. Rome- 41 AD Anglo-Saxon- 5th century Vikings- 9th century Historical Background
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- 15. Thus… English words wereGermanic, having come from the languages of the Angles, Jutes and Saxons. Latin, however, also had a strong influence on early English. Later, the Scandinavians (Vikings) contributed many words to Old English. Old English literature consists of poetry, prose, charms, riddles, maxims, proverbs, and various other wisdom sayings. It is a mixture of pagan traditions, thoughts about life, the universe and nature, as well as Christian thought and moral values. There is often no clear-cut delineation between religious and non-religious poetry or sometimes even between poetry and prose.
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- 19. • Its authoris unknown, but he seems to have had a good grasp of the Bible and other great epics, such as Homer's Odyssey. • The work glorifies a hero and the values of bravery and generosity • Beowulf is the oldest poem in the English poem in the English language, so everything written since Beowulf stems from it in some way. • The story of Beowulf encompasses common themes that we still see in English literature today.
- 20. Some ofthe characters in the poem actually existed. The only copy of the manuscript was written sometimes around 11th century A.D. The epic caught the imagination of writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien
- 21. Setting: Beowulf’s timeand place •Although Beowulf was written in English, it is set in what is now Sweden, where a tribe called the Geats lived. •The story may take place as early as 400 or 500 A.D.
- 22. THE SCANDINAVIAN TALE WHICHBECAME THE FIRST ENGLISH EPIC • Although the story of Beowulf centres around the heroic exploits of the Scandinavians, it found fame in the epic poem written in Old English by an Anglo-Saxon bard. • It tells the tale of Beowulf, a Great warrior from modern- day Scandinavia, who travels to Denmark to help King Hrothgar defend his magnificent hall of Heorot.
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- 24. Christian values vs. (Anglo-Saxon) PaganValues • This tension is at the heart of the poem • Pagan history and myth are made to point a Christian moral • Beowulf is poised between to value system • It is assumed that the poet was Christian, still may of the characters embrace pagan heroic ideals
- 25. The 2 ValueSystem • Strong nature presence • Strength of the hero • a love of war and the virtue of courage. • The biblical Old Testament supplies the idea about giants and monsters having descended from Cain's line. • The poem is sometimes seen as a conflict between good and evil. From the Christian tradition, it incorporates morality, obedience to God, and avoidance of pride
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- 27. The protagonist ofthe epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero who fights the monster. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. In his old age, he proves a wise and effective ruler. Beowulf
- 28. The king ofthe Danes. A wise and aged ruler, Hrothgar represents a different kind of leadership from that exhibited by the youthful warrior Beowulf. He is a father figure to Beowulf and a model for the kind of king that Beowulf becomes. King hrothgar
- 29. A demon descendedfrom Cain, Grendel preys on Hrothgar’s warriors in the king’s mead-hall, Heorot. Grendel fits solidly within the ethos of vengeance that governs the world of the poem. Grendel
- 30. An unnamed swamp- hag,Grendel’s mother seems to possess fewer human qualities than Grendel, although her terrorization of Heorot is explained by her desire for vengeance— a human motivation. Grendel’s mother
- 31. An ancient, powerful serpent,the dragon guards a horde of treasure in a hidden mound. Beowulf’s fight with the dragon constitutes the third and final part of the epic. Dragon
- 32. Summary The first partof the story takes place in Denmark. King Hrothgar is being pestered by a water monster, Grendel, who is killing his men. Beowulf comes to his aid and kills Grendel and later, at the bottom of the lake, also Grendel's mother, who comes to avenge her son. The second part happens in southern Sweden about fifty years later. Beowulf himself is a king and has to fight a fire breathing dragon. The poem concludes decades later with a face-off between the ageing king and a fearsome dragon, ending with the death of both.
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- 34. The Exeter Bookgets its name from the Exeter Cathedral. The book was donated to the cathedral’s library in 1072 by the first bishop of Exeter, Leofric. Exeter book c. 975 Inside its covers we find “The Wanderer,” “The Seafarer,” “The Wife’s Lament” and over ninety riddles which offer a delightful glimpse into the domestic objects (and sexual double entendres) of early Anglo Saxon life.
- 35. • The ExeterBook is the largest still-existing collection of Old English poetry and riddles. The Exeter Book is believed to have originally consisted of 131 pages. The original first eight pages of the book have gone missing and were replaced by other pages at a later date. • It is known for its Double Entrende
- 36. Riddle #1 I ama wondrous creature for women in expectation, a service for neighbors. I harm none of the citizens except my slayer alone. My stem is erect, I stand up in bed, hairy somewhere down below. A very comely peasant's daughter, dares sometimes, proud maiden, that she grips at me, attacks me in my redness, plunders my head, confines me in a stronghold, feels my encounter directly, woman with braided hair. Wet be that eye.
- 38. Riddle #2 A curiosityhangs by the thigh of a man, under its master’s cloak. It is pierced through in the front; it is stiff and hard and it has a good standing-place. When the man pulls up his own robe above his knee, he means to poke with the head of his hanging thing the familiar hole of matching length which he has often filled before.
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- 41. He is widelyregarded as the greatest of all the Anglo-Saxon scholars. He wrote or translated some forty books on practically every area of knowledge, including nature, astronomy, and poetry. He also wrote the first martyrology (a chronicle about the lives of the saints). St. Bede Father of English History
- 42. Bede’s most famous workcreated in 731, tells the story of the conversion of the English people to Christianity. It is a history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between the pre-Schism Roman Rite and Celtic Christianity.
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