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The Seafarer: An Elegy of Anglo-Saxon Hardships

Explore the cold, hard facts of an Anglo-Saxon elegy depicting the struggle between fate and faith, as exemplified through the journey of a wraecca at sea. Delve into the poetic elements of caesuras, alliteration, and kennings, reflecting on the dual themes of earthly toil and spiritual yearning.

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The Seafarer: An Elegy of Anglo-Saxon Hardships

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  1. The Seafarer Translated by Burton Raffel Composed by an unknown poet

  2. Part of The Exeter Book The Exeter Book was given to Exeter Cathedral in the 11th century. It contained a collection of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts.

  3. The Seafarer – the cold, hard facts • Can be considered an elegy, or mournful, contemplative poem. • Can also be considered a planctus, or “complaint.” This would involve a fictional speaker and a subject that may be loss other than death. • Regardless, the expression of strong emotion is the key.

  4. The Seafarer – the cold, hard facts cont. • What the poem has that most Anglo-Saxon poems also have: • Caesuras – pause in a line • Alliteration joins the 2 parts of the line • Kennings – metaphorical phrases

  5. The Seafarer – the cold, hard facts • Caesura and alliteration in action “The only sound / was the roaring sea” • Kennings “coldest seeds” = hail “givers of gold” = Anglo-Saxon kings

  6. The Seafarer – the cold, hard facts • A wraecca tells his tale; he is at sea. (A “wraecca” was a person who had been exiled from his community.) • Poem highlights the balance between the Anglo-Saxon belief in fate, where everything is grim and overpowering, and the Christian believer’s reliance on God.

  7. The Seafarer – the cold, hard facts • The land represents safety and security. • The sea represents hardship and struggle, but the man is drawn to it because it brings him closer to God. The sea represents the power of God. • “Home” represents heaven or being closer to God.

  8. The Seafarer – literary criticism • Some believe that the poem has 2 speakers. One who makes a personal “complaint” and a second who comments on the condition described by the first. • The second speaker emphasizes man’s relationship with the divine rather than one man’s personal plight.

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