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A Short History of English Poetry

A Short History of English Poetry. The Nature of Poetry. Poetry is one of the most ancient of the arts Originally fused with music Often intended to be chanted (Often related to religious movements) Often used to remember oral history, story (epic poetry), law, prayers, myths etc.

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A Short History of English Poetry

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  1. A Short History of English Poetry

  2. The Nature of Poetry • Poetry is one of the most ancient of the arts • Originally fused with music • Often intended to be chanted (Often related to religious movements) • Often used to remember oral history, story (epic poetry), law, prayers, myths etc. • Musical rhythms were replaced with linguistic ones when people became more literate

  3. Old English/Anglo-Saxon Era (450-1100) • Germanic tribes from Europe who overran England in the 5th Century after the Roman withdrawal, brought with them the Old English language which is the basis of Modern English. • Anglo-Saxons had a pagan religion and ancient folk traditions but were converted to Christianity • Before the 7th Century, most stories were passed by word of mouth • When they started to record stories, they tended to rework the ancient Germanic traditions in Christian terms • Old Eng. poetry dealt, in heroic terms, with the crucial incidents of Christian and pre-Christian history and serving, just as the pagan poetry did, to guide men’s present actions by the example of the glorious past

  4. Old English Poetry: • Intended to be chanted • Bold and strong, mournful (elegy) • Emphasized the helplessness of humans • Much was composed without rhyme • Used a great deal of structural alliteration • Subject matter = heroes and spiritual excitement • E.g. Beowulf – an epic narrative (the only surviving English one)

  5. Touchstone Poem of this time: Caedmon(7th Century) -Cædmon's Hymn • Caedmon was a poet, cleric and historian • Described as having received the gift of song from God • Supposedly sand of the great events of the Old and New Testament in order to “draw men away from the love of sin, and to excite in them devotion to well-doing and perseverance therein.” • He felt incompetent in the art of verse and shied away from singing • One night in a dream, someone told him to sing, directing him to celebrate creation • Thereafter, he was able to express any given sacred topic in verse • Became a monk and devoted his life to the composition of Christian verse • His hymn is “religious” in theme in contract to dominant paganism • See handout for an excerpt • How might we recognize this as poetry? • (sound devices (alliteration)

  6. A sample:

  7. Beowulf (8th-1oth Century) • Begins and ends with the funeral of a great king • Describes the exploits of a Scandinavian cultural hero, Beowulf. Beowulf helps the king of the Danes in destroying the monster Grendel, and Grendel’s mother. He becomes a king and after 50 years has passed he defeats a fire-breathing dragon but is fatally wounded in the battle. • Beowulf is shown not only as a glorious hero but as a saviour of the people • The Old Germanic virtue of mutual loyalty between leader and followers is evoked effectively and touchingly in the aged Beowulf’s sacrifice of his life • Consists of 3182 long lines of alliteration • Another feature of “Beowulf” is the weakening of the sense of the ultimate power of arbitrary fate • The Christian idea of dependence on a just God is evident • Poet is unknown First page of poem

  8. Beowulf – a sample Hwæt [what!] wēGār-Dena [Spear-Danes] in geār-dagum [days of yore] þēod-cyninga [king of a people] þrym [power] gefrūnon [hear of], hū [how] ðāæþelingas [prince,hero] ellen [deeds of valour] fremedon [accomplish], Oft [often] ScyldScēfing [name: Danish dynasty of the Scyldings] sceaþena [enemy] þrēatum [troop], monegum [many] mægþum [nation] meodo-setla [mead-bench] oftēah [take away]; egsian [terrify] eorl [warrior] syððan [after] ǣrest [first] weorþan [become] • Movie Trailer: http://youtu.be/v9qpqyO_dmU

  9. Riddles • Oral puzzles are probably as old as human language • Earliest known written puzzle, a riddle inscribed on a tablet dates to Babylonian times (beginning about 2000 B.C. • Riddles are found in many ancient documents, including the Bible, Koran, Greek mythology and Sanskrit manuscripts.

  10. Riddles: difficult or confusing questions presented as problems to be solved, are believed to be the earliest puzzles and a popular form of entertainment • E.g. legendary hero Oedipus solved the riddle of the sphinx at the peril of his own life • Conundrum: a riddle with a solution that relies on a pun • E.g. “What is black and white and red all over?” • Pun on “red” and “all over” • Solution: “A newspaper” • Let’s try to figure out a few!

  11. Language Change • See the overhead • Is Shakespeare really that old?

  12. The Medieval Period (1100-1500)Middle English

  13. http://www.slideshare.net/teachersheen/english-poetry-historical-overviewhttp://www.slideshare.net/teachersheen/english-poetry-historical-overview

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