History of English Literature UNIT 1
History of English Literature: UNIT I Part 1: The Anglo-Saxon Period (c. 450-1066) (Your syllabus note: The 14th century date on your syllabus is an error; that is the age of Chaucer. The Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, period ends with the Norman Conquest in 1066.) The Spirit of the Age This is the literature of a Germanic warrior society transplanted to a new land. The spirit is stern, somber, and fatalistic. It is a world of hardship, long winters, and loyalty to one's lord (comitatus). The dominant mood is elegiac—a sense of loss for a golden past. Two forces are in tension: the pagan belief in "Wyrd" (an impersonal, all-powerful fate) and the new, hopeful framework of Christianity. Key Literary Characteristics Oral Tradition: Poems were not read, but performed in mead-halls by a poet-storyteller called a scop. Verse Form: The poetry is alliterative, not rhymed. It relies on the repetition of initial consonant sounds within a line (e.g., "In a dark dale, down a deep...