Old English Period / Anglo-Saxon Period summary/ Old English literature Summary (449-1066)

Old English Period / Anglo-Saxon Period / Old English Period Summary In Literature (449-1066)

Actually England created some islands.These are England, Ireland,Scotland and Welsh.

                 The Background

1.The earliest people to come and settle were the three nation groups of celts ... .i.The Goels  ii.Brithons. iii.Belgacem.The spoke celtic and Gaerlic language.It was a celtic nation.

2.This Celtic nation was invaded by the Romans and Britain became a part of the Roman Empire.The Romans quit it at the end of the 4th century A.D.However, they left behind Christianity (st. Augustine converted the Celtics into Christianity in 597 A.D).Now the language was a mixture of the Celtics and the Romans.

3.Then the Germanic warrior tribes arrived in the 5th century A.D.They were….i.The Angles ( the name England is derived from the Angle Land), ii.Saxons and iii.Jutes.The Angles settled in the north, the Saxons in the south and the Jutes in kent.Thus the language English was arrived with these tribes.

                       The Literature

Old English Literature can be divided into two groups:

1.Old English Poetry

2.Old English Prose

                      Old English Poetry

Old English Poetry may be categorised into two groups:

1.Non-christian / Non-religious

2.Christian /Religious

      Non-Christian / Non-Religious Poetry

Non-christian poetry again may be divided into two groups:

i.Heroic /Epic

ii.Elegiac and Lyrical

               i.Heroic / Epic Poetry

Heroic /Epic poetry includes:

• Beowulf

• Widsith

• Waldhere

• The Fight at Brunanburh

• The Battle of Maldon

• The Battle of Finnesburah

• The Lament of Deor /Deor's Lament

            ii.Elegiac and Lyrical Poetry 

Elegiac and lyrical poetry includes:

• The Wanderer

• The Seafarer

• The Wife's Lament

• The Husband's Message

• Wulf and Eadwacer

• The Ruin or The Ruined Berg

            Christian / Religious Poetry

The Christian poetry again fall into two groups:

1.Caedmon's Group: i.The Genesis, ii.Exodus, iii.Daniel, iv.Christ and Satan, v.Judith

2.Cynewulf's Group: i.Juliana, ii.Christ, iii.Elene, iv. The fates of the Apostles, v.Andreas, vi.The Phoenix, vii.The Dream of the Road, viii.Guthlac

                Old English Prose

The old English prose writers were:

• Aldhelm

• Bede

• King Alfred

• Aelfric

• Wulfstan

                              Aldhelm

Aldhelm wrote in elaborate, grandiloquent and very difficult Latin, known as hermeneutic style.His "verborum garrulitas" is the only surviving work.

                              Bede

"Ecclesiastical History of the English People" is the most famous work of Bede.For this work he is known to all  "The Father of English History". He wrote in Northumbrian dialect.

Divided into five books, Historia covers the history of England,ecclesiastical and political,from the time of Julius Caesar to the date of its completion in 731.

Book 1: Late Roman Republic to AD 603

Book 2:AD 604-633

Book 3:AD 633-665

Book 4:AD 664-698

Book 5: AD 687-731

                             King Alfred

He was a great translator.He made five great translations.The translations by him are:

i.'Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care' ( Latin title: Cura Pastoralis) 

ii.Orosius  ' The History of the world' ( Latin: Historiae Adversus Paganos)

iii.Bede's 'Ecclesiastical History of the English People' 

iv.Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy (Latin: De consolatione philosophiae)

v.St. Augustine's 'Soliloquies' ( Latin)

                                 Aelfric

5 books:

1.Catholic Homilies

2.Grammar

3.Colloquy

4.Saint's Lives

5.Heptateuch ( translation of first seven books of the Bible)

                                  Wulfstan

2 books:

1.Sermo Lupi AD Anglos

2.The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ( inspired by king Alfred)