ANAM HIJAb

BS ENGLISh
GROUP A

topic : Essay on Anglo Saxon Literature

HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

The history of English literature is very closely related to the history of english people.it began
with the emergence of english nation and kept on evolving along with social development of
nation. In the history of English literature there were different phases of progress. Eachof those
phases known as age or period has been given a particular name, sometimes after the name of
a king or queen, sometimes after the name of a great writer and sometimes according to the
spirit of the time. The first age is:
The old English period
or
The anglo saxon period( 450 to 1066)
This age started in the 5th century when the jutes, Angles and Saxons came to England from
Germany, defeated the English tribes and started their region. It ended in 1066 with the Norman
conquest. The important facts which influenced the literature of this period are, The
christianization of the pegan tribes began in England. In the 7th century christian authorities
established monastries where written literature began. whatever had existed as literature before
that time was oral. Alfred the great who resigned over England from 871 from 901 encouraged
education and supervised the compilation of The Anglo Saxon chronicle. Major literary works
of the this period are Beowulf, the earliest epic in English was written in this period. "The
Wanderer", "The Seafarer", "The husband's message" and "The wife's lament" are among the
remarkable literary works of the age. The Anglo Saxon Chronicle written in the age is the
earliest prose of English literature.
The main literary features of the age are:
most of the literary works are anonymous. paganism dominates the literary spirits of the time
through christanity is also traceable. Strong belief in fate is reflected. Evil is symbolised by
monsters. Romantic love is absent. Attitude to women is respectful. Sea adventures and
heroic activities are honoured. Use of more metaphors and less similes is the practice of the
time. Verse line donot have equal number of syllables. syllables in one line vary from six to
fourteen. End rhyme is ignored.The Anglo saxon pushed the native britons to the region now
known as Wales. Over the next few centuries, the Anglo Saxon were the dominant
culture.however there were many changes in society, which affected the literature, for example
the Anglo saxon people spoke in what is now called Old English, which is a combination of
native briton's Language and the germanic trible tongue the brought with them. The history of
these people is reflected in the rich literature of that era.