Intro to literature 2

1. SecondMeeting – Old English Literature
It is also called the Anglo Saxon Literature.
Notes: Anglo Saxon refers to the Germanic settlers
(Angles, Saxons, Frisians, and Jutes) that came to
Britain during 5th and 6th centuries.
Period: 7th Century to 1066 (Norman Conquest)
There are 400 surviving scripts during that period
that are used for research about the literature tendency.

2. Types of literature during the Old English Period:
• Epigraphs: inscriptions in artifacts, walls, or other things.
Famous example: Franks Casket (runic + Old English)
• Heroic Poems: poems about heroic tales.
Famous example: Beowulf (Nowell Codex)
It is the most well known literature of Old English.
• Elegies: wisdom poems.
Famous examples: The Ruin, The Wanderer (Exeter Book)
• Classical Poems: adaptation of Latin philosophical texts.
Famous example: Consolation of Philosophy (Cotton Manuscript)
• Christian Poems: poems related to Bible or Saint’s life.
Famous examples: Andreas (Vercelli Book), Junius Manuscript
These include hymns and proverbs.

3. Old English Literature also contains:
Riddles (mostly in Exeter Book) without supplied answer.
Short verses about practical advices, like: Nine Herbs Charm.
Mnemonic poems, poems for remembering long lists of names.
Example: The Fates of the Apostles
Christian prose, mostly sermons and Latin translations.
Example: The Pastoral Care
Secular prose, unrelated to religion, usually related to history.
Example: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

4. The Poets / Authors
Most literary writings during the Old English Period were
created by anonymous author.
There are only twelve known names from that Medieval Era.
And among those twelve, only four are known for certain:
Caedmon, Bede, Alfred the Great, and Cynewulf

6. The most famous literary writing of Old English Era

7. Summary:
The king of the Scyldings, Hrothgar, has built a
wonderful hall for his thanes. They have happy parties there
nightly. These parties and their happy noise annoy the monster,
Grendel who lives in the marshes. Grendel thus attacks the Hall,
called Heriot, at night and carries off the sleeping Scylding
warriors to eat them. As a result, Heriot is no longer used and its
people are haunted by the spectre of Grendel for twelve years.

8. Enter Beowulf. He has heard of the trial of the Scyldings
and because Hrothgar had once helped his father, he has come to
defeat the monster. The Scyldings are at first skeptical, but
Hrothgar agrees to let him try. Beowulf makes the decision to
fight the monster hand to hand, without sword or shield. This
turns out to be the right choice, because Grendel's body would
break any sword. Beowulf and his companions lie in wait within
the Hall and Beowulf surprises Grendel when he comes. In the
ensuing battle, Beowulf rips Grendel's arm off his shoulder
and the monster escapes home, mortally wounded.

9. At this point, everyone celebrates, but as we shall see the
celebration is premature because Grendel has a mother and she
wants revenge. At the end of the celebration, the mostly
inebriated thanes go to sleep in the hall but Beowulf is given his
own detached room. During the night Grendel's mother comes
and carries off one of the Scylding thanes as well as Grendel's
detched arm which is now hanging on the wall.

10. In the morning, Hrothgar asks Beowulf to save them
from this new monster. They chase after the monster and the trail
leads to a lake where they find the head of the missing thane and
the bloody water where the beast enters the water. This time
Beowulf takes a sword. Diving into the water, he chases the
monster and cuts off her head. Then for good measure he finds
Grendel's body and cuts off that head as well. Now Beowulf is
truly a hero. He gets much treasure from Hrothgar which
he duly shares with his men and goes home where he
soon becomes King.

11. After fifty years as king, Beowulf's own kingdom is
attacked by a dragon. Rather than letting some
younger men take on this challenge, Beowulf, believing
it is his responsibility, goes after it himself. He takes eleven men
with him. When they get to the Dragon's cave and he attacks, all
of the men who came with him run for the trees. Only one,
Wiglaf, goes back to help Beowulf. Together they kill the
dragon, but Beowulf is mortally wounded.

12. Wiglaf gives Beowulf his dying wish by showing him
the treasure they have won from the dragon, and Beowulf makes
Wiglaf his heir before he dies. Wiglaf then goes back and exiles
all the cowards still hiding in the trees. Beowulf's people bury
him in a mound with all the treasure. They do not want to keep
the treasure because the do not think it is righteous payment for
their king whom they loved.
http://www.wikisummaries.org/Beowulf

13. NOW:
1. What is the theme?
2. What are the settings?
3. Characterize each character in
the story.
4. Is there any moral value? If it
is, what is it?

14. See You next week!