Lecture Two
The Anglo-Saxon Period
(449-1066)
1. About the history:
(1) The early inhabitants on the island
we now call England were Britons (a tribe
of Celts). From the Britons, the island got
its name Britain (the land of Britons). The
Britons were a primitive people living in the
tribal society.
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(2) In the middle of the 1st century B.C.,
Roman troops led by Julius Caesar invaded
Britain. Then Britain became a Roman province
for nearly 400 years. After the fall of the Roman
Empire in 410 A.D., the Roman troops withdrew
from Britain. About 449, the Teutonic (n.Teutons ) tribes of Angles, Saxons & Jutes
migrated to England from the European
Continent, or more specifically, from western
Denmark & the northwest coast of Germany.
They settled down there & soon ruled over the
whole England, enslaving some of the native
Celts while driving the others to the hills north &
west, to Wales & Scotland & even Ireland across
the sea. Thus began the Anglo-Saxon period in
English history.
(3) The Angles, an important Teutonic tribe,
named the new land as Angle-land,
afterward shortened into England.
The Norman Conquest of England(1066)
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It was said that king Edward had promised
the English throne to William, Duke of Normandy.
But after his death, Harold, the richest and most
powerful of the English aristocracy, was chosen
as king. So William led his army to invade
England. In October 1066, during the important
battle of Hastings, William defeated Harold and
killed him. On one Christmas Day, William was
crowned king of England, thus beginning the
Norman Conquest of England and marking the
end of Anglo-Saxon period.
Beowulf
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the greatest Old English poem
the 7th century
3182 lines
the lst English epic
Anonymous author
translated into modern English
The prose form of this poem in modern English
consists of 43 sections
• The division into sections headed by roman
numerals is that of the original manuscript
• Epic is an extended narrative
poem in elevated or dignified
language, like Homer’s Iliad &
Odyssey. It usually celebrates the
feats of one or more legendary or
traditional heroes. The action is
simple but full of magnificence.
Today, some long narrative works,
like novels that reveal an age &
its people, are also called epic.
The Story
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Beowulf, the story of the poem, is not about
England, but about Hrothgar, the King of the Danes,
and about a brave young man, Beowulf, from
southern Sweden, who goes to help the King,
Hrothgar, who is in trouble. His great hall, called
Heorot, is visited at night by a terrible creature,
Grendel, which lives in a lake and comes to kill and
eat Hrothgar’s men. One night, Beowulf waits
secretly for this thing, attacks it, and in a fierce fight
pulls its arm off. It manages to reach the lake again,
but dies there. Then its mother comes to the hall in
search of revenge, and the attacks begin again.
Beowulf follows her to the bottom of the lake and
kills her there. It is there that he finds the dead body
of Grendel. He cuts off the heads of the two
monsters and brings the two hairy heads back to
the Danish hall. The triumph is celebrated in
feasting and song.
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Then Beowulf goes home and
becomes the king and reigns
over his people for 50 years.
Then he has to defend his
country against a fire-breathing
creature (fire dragon). He kills
the animal but is badly wounded
in the fight, and dies. The poem
ends with a sorrowful
description of Beowulf’s funeral
fire.
Significance of Beowulf
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It is the longest & finest of existent old English
poems & the national epic of the English people.
It sings of the exciting adventures of a great
legendary hero whose physical strength
demonstrates his high spiritual qualities, i.e. his
resolution to serve his country & kinsfolk, his true
courage, courteous conduct, and his love of honor.
Thematically, this poem shows how the primitive
people fight against the forces of the natural world
under a wise & mighty leader.
Poetic Form and Features of
Beowulf
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Form: Beowulf was written in
alliterative verse.
Alliteration: the repetition of the initial
consonant sounds in poetry. In
alliterative verse, certain stressed
words in a line begin with the same
consonant sound. There are 4
stresses in a line generally, three or
two of which show alliteration, as can
be seen from the lines from the end
of the poem (In modern translation):
(see example at PP. 6-7 in Book I
Features:
• (1) The use of alliteration is one of its most
striking features.
• (2)The use of compound-words to serve
as metaphors:
(3) The use of understatements or
euphemism
The use of understatements gives an
impression of reserve(不夸张)，and at
times, a tinge of ironical humor. This
quality is often regarded as a permanent
characteristic of English.
• (4) It is not a Christian but a pagan
poem of all advanced pagan civilization,
presenting an all-round picture of the
tribal society. So the poem has a great
social significance.
the main characteristics of AngloSaxon literature
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Anglo-Saxon literature or the Old English literature is
almost exclusively a verse literature in oral form. It could be
passed down by word of mouth from generation to
generation. It’s creators for the most part are unknown. It
was only given a written form long after its composition.
There are two groups of English poetry in Anglo—Saxon
period. The first group was the pagan poetry represented
by Beowulf. It is the oldest poem in the English language
and the most important specimen of Anglo-Saxon literature,
and also the oldest surviving epic in the English language.
The second group was the religious poetry represented by
the works of Caedmon & Cynewulf.
In the 8th century, Anglo-Saxon prose appeared. The
famous prose writers of that period were Venerable Bede &
Alfred the Great.