1 / 8

Anglo-Saxon Literature

Anglo-Saxon Literature. Lyric Poetry. Poetry Terminology: Genres. Genre A classification or category of a literary form Dramatic poem Involves more than one speaker Narrative poem Tells a complete story Lyric poem Expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker

inge
Download Presentation

Anglo-Saxon Literature

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Anglo-Saxon Literature Lyric Poetry

  2. Poetry Terminology: Genres • Genre • A classification or category of a literary form • Dramatic poem • Involves more than one speaker • Narrative poem • Tells a complete story • Lyric poem • Expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker • Presents an experience or single effect (does not tell a full story) • (orig.) A song accompanied by a lyre

  3. General Poetry Terminology • Speaker • Who is the voice of the poem—the character who tells the poem? • Subject (story) • What is the speaker telling about—what’s going on in this poem? (where? When? What?—if supplied) • Tone • What is the speaker’s attitude about the subject/story? • Mood • What is the poem’s atmosphere—what the audience feels? • Theme • What message about life, about the human experience, does the poem present?

  4. Anglo-Saxon Lyric Poetry • Elegy • A solemn and formal lyric poem about death • Mourns the passing away of an individual person or reflects on a tragic theme, such as the passing of youth, beauty, or a way of life • (adj.) elegaic • Planctus • Medieval literary genre • Means “complaint” • Distinguished from elegy— • Fictional speaker • Mourns a loss other than death

  5. Anglo-Saxon Themes • Exile: separation or banishment from one’s native country, region, or home • Expressed with memorable sadness and pain • Wraecca—wretch, stranger, unhappy man, and wanderer • Allegiance: pledging loyalty to a particular lord or king (hlaford –“lord”) • Source of sustenance (hlafweard—“guardian of the loaf”) • Dispenser of wealth • Guarantor of the security of his followers in a dangerous and uncertain world • Longing for home and comfort • Mead hall • The lord and his followers shared the warmth of a fire, the comfort of food and drink (mead), and the pleasures of recited poetry (scops)

  6. Anglo-Saxon Literary Characteristics • Kenning • An appositive phrase (renames something or someone) • Often a colorful metaphor • Examples: • The ocean, “the whale’s home” • “Beowulf,/A prince of the Geats” • Grendel, “shepherd of evil, guardian of crime”

  7. Anglo-Saxon Literary Characteristics • Caesura • A natural break/mid-line pause in the middle of a line of Anglo-Saxon poetry • Divides each four-stress line in half • Essential to the rhythm (meter) of the poem • Example: • . . . My feet were cast In icy bands, bound with frostWith frozen chains, and hardship groanedAround my heart. Hunger toreAt my sea-weary soul.

  8. Anglo-Saxon Literary Characteristics • Alliteration • Repetition of initial consonant sounds • Examples: • “I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.” • “This tale is true, and mine. It tells . . .” • Anglo-Saxon convention (tradition) is to use alliteration with a heavy hand (a bit overused)

More Related