Old English Heroic Poems and the Social Life of TextsOld English Heroic Poems and the Social Life of Texts develops the theme that all stories- all 'beautiful lies', if one considers them as such- have a potentially myth-like function as they enter and re-enter the stream of human consciousness. In particular, the volume assesses the place of heroic poetry (including Beowulf, Widsith, and The Battle of Maldon) in the evolving society of Anglo-Saxon England during the tenth-century period of nation-building. Poetry, Niles argues, was a great collective medium through which the Anglo-Saxons conceived of their changing social world and made mental adjustments to it. Old English 'heroic geography' is examined as an aspect of the mentality of that era. So too is the idea of the oral poet (or bard) as a means by which the people of this time continued to conceive of themselves, in defiance of reality, as members of a tribe-like community knit by close personal bonds. The volume is rounded off by the identification of Bede's story of the poet CAedmon as the earliest known example of a modern folktale type, and by a spirited defense of Seamus Heaney's recent verse translation of Beowulf. |
Contents
Locating Beowulf in Literary History | 13 |
Widsith the Goths and the Anthropology of the Past | 73 |
Some New Interest in the Goths | 111 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
accepted Alfred Anglo-Saxon Anglo-Saxon England attention Battle of Maldon Bede Bede's Beowulf Byrhtnoth called Cambridge century chapter Christian Chronicle claim concerning criticism cultural death discussion early England English Studies Essays evidence example fact figure Geatas Germanic given Goths Heaney Heaney's heroic human imagined Italy kind King knowledge known land language later Latin laughter learned lines literary literature living London means medieval mind myth narrative nature offered Old English oral original particular passage past perhaps period person perspective poem poet poet's poetry present question readers reason reference regard relating remains Saxon scholars seems sense social society song sources speaking story suggest taken tale tell things thought tradition translation tribe truth verse Viking Widsith wish writing written York