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Anglo-Saxon Literary Elements

Anglo-Saxon Literary Elements. The Epic and the Epic Hero http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glN2r1jVvic. Qualities and Characteristics. Defintion. A long narrative poem told in elevated style about the actions of a noble or semi-divine person. Qualities of Epic Poetry.

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Anglo-Saxon Literary Elements

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  1. Anglo-Saxon Literary Elements

  2. The Epic and the Epic Herohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glN2r1jVvic Qualities and Characteristics

  3. Defintion A long narrative poem told in elevated style about the actions of a noble or semi-divine person

  4. Qualities of Epic Poetry The main character is of noble birth Action is on a huge scale God(s) come to the aid of the hero It is written in elevated style En Medias Res (Action starts in the middle of things) Literary inventories (long family histories) Descriptions of battle and weapons Long speeches

  5. The epic hero Definition: the central character of an epic who has superior qualities and risks personal danger for the greater good.

  6. Qualities of the epic hero Is important and glorified Is on a quest Has superhuman strength, intelligence and/or courage Is ethical Risks death for the good of society and for personal glory Performs brave deeds Is a responsible leader Reflects the values of the culture

  7. Literary elements A few new ones and one you’ll recognize

  8. A reminder about A-S poetry Composed extemporaneously by scops

  9. Structure and Conventions Kennings=formula phrases that substitute for a noun; types of metaphors used to create alliteration and striking imagery Compound words, like “ring-giver” Prepositional phrases, like “winters of grief” Possessives, like “ocean’s face”

  10. Alliteration Definition: repetition of similar consonant sounds at the beginning of words in a line of poetry Used in place of rhyme Used to unify ideas and for auditory pleasure Sally sold sea shells at the sea shore

  11. Caesura Definition: a break or long pause in a line of poetry. The poetic line in Anglo-Saxon poetry is broken in half, so the metrical unit is the half line.

  12. Rules that govern Anglo-Saxon poetry 1. Each half line must contain 2 stressed syllables and any number of unstressed syllables. 2. Either 1 or 2 stressed syllables in the first half line must alliterate with 1 stressed syllable in the 2nd half line.

  13. Example u / u / u / u / u He wove his words in a winsome pattern.

  14. More on kennings Poets needed kennings (noun replacement words) to meet the alliteration needs of the poetry. Remember: kennings are nouns, not adjectives!

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