+ Beowulf, etc. Anglo-Saxon history / Intro to Seamus Heaney

+ A Brief History of English (quiz) English has over 500,000 words (more than any other language) Numerous sources A result of historical change Indo-European is the original source Dating from 5,000 BC From India (!) to Ireland The Celtic people brought a variety of Ind-European to the British Isles Celtic spoken until the 5 th century Little influence on English The Romans controlled Britain from 1 st -5 th centuries Romans leave Britain in 410 AD to protect Rome Leave behind some Christian influence Romans move out, ANGLO-SAXONS move in Anglo-Saxons and Old English Roman & Christian Influence

+ A Brief History of English (quiz) Anglo-Saxons and Old English Bring Beowulf to Britain Setting is in their homeland: Denmark, Northern Germany, Southern Sweden Beowulf is a PAGAN story Spoke a Germanic dialect that is the original source of the English language It’s what we call Old English Spoken 8 th -12 th century Runic alphabet originally, but not used to write long tales Latin alphabet (from the Romans) adopted by Anglo-Saxons after they move to Britain Many English nouns (stone, word, gift, foot) come from Old English The pronoun “he” and preposition “under” come from Old English w/o any change Note that the name English comes from the name of the Angles – also the word England (land of the Angles) Roman & Christian Influence

+ English cont. (quiz – that wasn’t BRIEF!) Roman & Christian Influence Late 6 th century Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity Influenced by Celtic Christians and missionaries sent from Rome When Anglo-Saxons begin using the Latin alphabet Beowulf is written down MAYBE 725 AD (lotta maybes) The person who wrote it included Christian elements

+ English cont. (not on quiz) Norman Invasion in 1066 (moving away from Old English) William the Conqueror (Northern France) Norman French becomes the language of government and literature Many French words are borrowed into English (authority, mayor, crime, army, guard) French did not replace English, but it did cause the shift from Old to Middle Middle English Canterbury Tales Getting closer… Early Modern English Sound and spelling continued to change into the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries – the Renaissance in Europe Renewed interest in ancient Greek and Latin (democracy, physics) Plays of William Shakespeare and the King James Bible are in Early Modern English Modern English Exists in numerous varieties around the world today What varieties of English do you speak? Universities are interested in Standard Academic English

+ Discovering Beowulf FIRST A VIDEO! YAY! Nobody knows when the poem was first composed Set in sixth-century Scandinavia, but has Christian undertones Passed down orally Survives as a SINGLE MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT Made between 10 th -11 th centuries Manuscript (at the British Library) is a 1,000 years old (NBD)

+ Who is Seamus Heaney? Basically one of the biggest poets of the 20 th century Translation of Beowulf is credited with revitalizing the text He’s a bad **s Listen to him read the introduction and tell me he’s not awesome The Tollund Man in Springtime “The soul exceed its circumstances”. Yes. / History not to be granted the last word / Or the first claim … In the end I gather / From the display-case peat my staying powers / Told my webbed writsts to be like silver birches, / My old uncallused hands to be young sward, / The spade-cut to heal, and got restored / By telling myself this.”

+ Unpack the introduction What surprised you? What confused you? What are you interested to see? What are you not looking forward to?

+ Anglo-Saxon Project See handout

+ Homework Anglo-Saxon MINI research project Find sources Read “A Grendel Problem” (lines 1-490) Annotate for literary devices (purpose or effect) AND essential questions Why do people tell stories? How are stories constructed? What is a hero? What is a true friend? What is a good leader? How does modern literature connect to literature of the past? ANY TIME YOU HIGHLIGHT ALSO COMMENT