Anglo-Saxon Literature In the beginning was the word…

Bede Bede—one of the greatest scholars of his age Works were on theology, science, and rhetoric *Spread of Christianity

The Anglo Saxons The Anglo Saxons loved beauty. This can be seen in pieces of jewelry that have survived. They also had men of great learning. People were sent to England when they needed a teacher!

continued Anglo Saxons believed.. To be exiled from one’s tribe was a fate worse than death. Earthly existence was a pilgrimage or journey whose ultimate goal was heaven (early Christians) Until a man was one with God, he was in exile (an exile is a metaphor for earthly life) Life was a journey full of suffering; man must humble himself to reach heaven.

Background: Elegiac Tradition of Anglo Saxon literature. This means…..? Focus on mourning the passing of earlier, better times!

Elegy Any poem that laments/grieves the loss or passing of beloved persons, places, or things In some national literatures, elegies are formally defined in meter, rhyme, and stanzaic structure. In Old English, elegy is more of a "mode" or manner of writing that can produce poems of many types, all using the basic four-stress, oral-formulaic line. Old English Laments -A formal expression of sorrow or mourning in verse or song — An elegy or dirge

Characteristics/Conventions Invokes a muse Contains a poetic speaker Raises questions about justice, fate, or providence The poet digresses about the conditions of his time or is own situation Digression allows the speaker to move beyond his original emotion or thinking to a higher level of understanding The conclusion provides consolation

Introduction Anonymous poem of uncertain date Lyrical Elegiac Expresses a speaker’s personal thoughts or feelings Elegiac Poem of mourning, usually over the death of an individual

The Seafarer The Seafarer’s beginning focuses on sea-faring but moves on to moral and religious issues. The poem contrasts feelings with seasons. Projects the idea that life is brief. Love of God brings eternal life (“home”). Uncertainty of life on the sea makes sailor aware of religious message above.

Changes from the past: Way of life changed (king’s glory, “giver of gold”) Honor “ages and shrinks” In current time, glory, honor, love of God diminished. All adding to physical life being brief and love of God brings reward of eternal life.

Characterization Courageous Fearful Thoughtful Reflective Religious Proud Point of View First Person

Final Stanza: Theme Way is difficult, but worth while Metaphor Ocean=Heaven Way is difficult, but worth while Shore/Land=Earthly Desires & Temptations Easy, relaxing, but ultimately unfulfilling

Final Stanza: Theme Diction “home” Land/shore? Heaven?

Final Stanza: Theme Poem ends with the traditional end of a prayer Diction “Amen” Poem ends with the traditional end of a prayer Justifies poem as metaphor

The Wanderer - Overview We find physical journeying within "The Wanderer“ a sense in which the journey is responsible for a visible transformation in the mind of the character making the journey. The Wanderer vividly describes his loneliness and yearning for the bright days past, and concludes with an admonition to put faith in God, "in whom all stability dwells". It has been argued that this admonition is a later addition, as it lies at the end of a poem that is otherwise solely secular in its concerns.

The Wanderer contd… The structure of the poem is of four-stress lines, divided between the second and third stresses by a caesura. Like most Old English Poetry, it is written in alliterative meter.

Questions: “The Wanderer” Who is the “Wanderer”? (and) What has likely lead him to where he is in the poem? Where is the poem set? What is “the Wanderer” lamenting? Why does the Wanderer lament the loss of his “gold-friend so much? What did that person represent? What is the symbolic significance of the “mead-hall” in this poem? What is the Wanderer seeking?

More Questions What role does memory play in the poem? The poem is structured with at least three divisions. What and where are they? What is the poem’s central message? How does it relate specifically to its time, and how is the message timeless? Where do we see “ubi sunt”? In what sense do the voice of the framing narrative and the voice of the Wanderer seem to be at odds?  

The Wife’s Lament What is unique about this passage? What role did the wife probably play before the context of the passage? Why is the wife in the situation she is in? Where is her husband? What misfortunes does the wife suffer? Is her situation meant to be taken literally or figuratively? Does she live in an earth cave at the bottom of a tree? Why can we infer that “The Wife’s Lament” is older than “The Wanderer”?