ORIGINALITY IN OLD ENGLISH POETRY

The desire was expressed some years ago that we might soon have in English a collection of translations of Old English poetry that might fill the place so well filled in German by Grein's Dichtungen der Angelsachsen. This desire is now in a fair way of accomplishment, and much has been done during the past ten years, the period embraced in this paper. As was naturally to be expected from the work previously done in criticism of both text and subject-matter, Beowulf has attracted more than ever the thoughts and efforts of translators, for we had in 1892 the rhythmical translation of Professor J. Lesslie Hall and the prose version of Professor Earle; in 1895 (reprinted in cheaper form in 1898) the poetical translation of William Morris and A. J. Wyatt, the editor of Beowulf; in 1901 the prose version of Dr. J. R. Clark Hall, author of A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary; and only the other day, in 1902, the handy prose version of Professor C. B. Tinker.

Download Full-text

Making Beowulf Scream: Exclamation and the Punctuation of Old English Poetry

The Journal of English and Germanic Philology ◽

10.5406/jenglgermphil.111.1.0025 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 111 (1) ◽

pp. 25

Author(s):

Weiskott

Keyword(s):

Old English ◽

English Poetry ◽

Old English Poetry

Download Full-text

The uncarpentered world of Old English poetry

Anglo-Saxon England ◽

10.1017/s0263675100001757 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

pp. 65-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Earl R. Anderson

Keyword(s):

Old English ◽

Oral Tradition ◽

English Poetry ◽

Military Conflict ◽

Old English Poetry ◽

Funeral Rites ◽

Dream Of The Rood ◽

The Past ◽

State Dependent ◽

Military Security

Cultural archaism is often thought of as a natural concomitant of oral tradition, and by extension, of a literature that is influenced by oral tradition. In the case of Old English poetry, archaism might include residual pagan religious beliefs and practices, such as the funeral rites inBeowulfor the use of runes for sortilege, and certain outmoded aspects of social organization such as the idea of a state dependent upon thecomitatusfor military security. An example often cited is the adaptation of heroic terminology and detail to Christian topics. The compositional method in Cædmon's ‘Hymn’, for instance, is regarded by many scholars as an adaptation of panegyric epithets to the praise of God, although N. F. Blake has noted that heroic epithets in the poem could have derived their inspiration from the psalms. InThe Dream of the Rood, the image of Christ mounting the Cross as a warrior leaping to battle has been regarded variously as evidence of an artistic limitation imposed by oral tradition, or as a learned metaphor pointing to the divine and human nature of Christ and to the crucifixion as a conflict between Christ and the devil. The martyrdom of the apostles is represented as military conflict in Cynewulf'sFates of the Apostles, Christ and his apostles as king andcomitatusin Cynewulf'sAscension, and temptation by devils as a military attack inGuthlac A; these illustrate a point made by A.B. Lord concerning the nature of conservatism in oral tradition: ‘tradition is not a thing of the past but a living and dynamic process which began in the past [and] flourishes in the present’.

Download Full-text

The departure of the hero in a ship: The intertextuality of Beowulf, Cynewulf and Andreas

SELIM. Journal of the Spanish Society for Medieval English Language and Literature. ◽

10.17811/selim.24.2019.105-132 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 105

Author(s):

Francis Leneghan

Keyword(s):

Old English ◽

English Poetry ◽

Anglo Saxon ◽

Old English Poetry ◽

The Church

This article identifies a new Old English poetic motif, ‘The Departure of the Hero in a Ship’, and discusses the implications of its presence in Beowulf, the signed poems of Cynewulf and Andreas, a group of texts already linked by shared lexis, imagery and themes. It argues that the Beowulf-poet used this motif to frame his work, foregrounding the question of royal succession. Cynewulf and the Andreas-poet then adapted this Beowulfian motif in a knowing and allusive manner for a new purpose: to glorify the church and to condemn its enemies. Investigation of this motif provides further evidence for the intertextuality of these works.Keywords: Old English poetry; Beowulf, Cynewulf; Andreas; Anglo-Saxon literature

Download Full-text