Anglo Saxon Period

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Anglo- Saxon Period

• 449-1066

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• pre 449-Isle of Britain inhabited by
  CeltsBritons and Gaels
• 55 BC Romans and J.C. invade, rule for about 300
  years (55bc 407ad)
• When Roman Empire weakens ( Have to pull out of
  Britain to defend Rome)---Angle, Saxons, and
  Jutes invade and almost totally conquer the
  island in 449
• Reason for name of period

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Class System

• Kingselected by elders from earls
• Earlshereditary ruling class
• Freemenlandownerscommerce
• thanesbarons rewarded for military service
• Churls (serfs)worked land for protection
• Thrallsslaves

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Anglo Saxon beliefs

• Pagansmany gods
• Fate very importantcalled Wyrd
• Cant escape fate
• fate decides

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Christianity comes and spreads- (6th century597
AD)

• Celts learned Christianity from the Roman
  invasion
• Celts (Ireland, Wales, Scotland) made their way
  back into Anglo- Saxon territory and began to
  spread Christianity
• Then Romans reorganized themselves and began to
  spread missionaries to Europe, also.
• How do you think Christianity changed Anglo-Saxon
  culture?

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• Softened the ferocity of a warrior people and
  improved the conduct of the faithful.

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Christianity Brought Education and Written
Literature

• Originally everything was passed down by word of
  mouth- ORAL TRADITION
• Therefore, there is a melding of pagan
  (traditional Anglo-Saxon beliefs in the oral
  tradition) with Christian beliefs (those people
  who actually wrote down the traditional poems)
• This mix can be seen in The Seafarer as well as
  Beowulf

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Venerable Bede (Northumbrian monk)(673-735)

• Recorded history of Britain before 700 A.D
• Father of English history
• In Latin, wrote A History of the English Church
  and People

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King Alfred the Great (849-900)-

• (9th century) Invasion by Vikings and Danes
  (Danelaw-trading centersgrowth of English towns)
  
• Wessex only Kingdom who managed to fight the
  Danes (King Alfred the Great)
• Saw the need for educating his people and
  translated Latin words (Venerable Bede) into the
  language used by the peopleOld English
  (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle)

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Old English poets

• Most Old English poets are anonymous twelve are
  known by name from Medieval sources, but only
  four of those are known by their vernacular works
  to us today with any certainty Caedmon, Alfred,
  Bede, and Cynewulf. Of these, only Caedmon,
  Alfred and Bede have known biographies.

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Anglo-Saxon Literature

• Originally recited by scopsminstrels (assistants
  gleeman)
• TWO TYPES of Poems
• Heroic (Beowulf)achievements of warriors in
  battles
• Elegiac (The Seafarer)- sorrowful laments that
  mourn the deaths of loved ones

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Reasons for Anglo-Saxon Poetic techniques?

• Memory demands some of these techniques.
• What kinds of things do you tend to remember
  without studying?

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Techniques that help memory

• Alliterationrepetition of initial consonant
  sounds, usually in a single line of poetry.
• Ex. She sells seashells by the seashore.
• 4 beat line.
• caesura A pause in a line of verse dictated not
  by metrics but by the natural rhythm of the
  language. There is usually a caesura in verses of
  ten syllables or more, and the handling of this
  pause to achieve rhythmical variety is a test of
  the poets ability.

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• Exeter Book Found in Exeter Cathedral, contains
  largest collection of Anglo-Saxon literature.
• Sutton Hoo Arch. find in 1939, ship filled with
  gold and artifactsmost important discovery in
  terms of understanding this period in history

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Other Literary Devices

• kenninga standard phrase or metaphor used in
  Anglo-Saxon and other Germanic verse, such as the
  leavings of hammers for swords or the
  whale-road for the sea.
• litotea dramatic understatement employed by the
  author for ironic effect. Litotes is a form of
  understatement, always deliberate and with the
  intention of subtle emphasis. However, the
  interpretation of litotes can depend on context,
  including cultural context. In speech, it may
  also depend on intonation and emphasis, the
  phrase "not bad" can be said in such a way as to
  mean anything from "mediocre" to "excellent".
• "That sword was not useless / to the warrior
  now." (Beowulf) really means The sword was
  useful."