PAG 28

The birth of English literature is linked to two important events: one was the Anglo-Saxon invasion, the
other was the spread of Christianity in England. These two events deeply influenced the two main
genres that characterized Anglo-Saxon literature: epic poetry and the elegy.

The epic and the elegy. The earliest example of a poem in Old English is the so-called Caedmon’s
Hymn, a religious poem composed in the 7th century in Whitby. Much of early Anglo-Saxon poetry was
centered around two main themes: Christian religion and the triumph of bravery and heroism

The heroic trend in Anglo-Saxon literature is embodied by the anonymous epic poem Beowulf. The
poem revolves around the actions of its eponymous character, Beowulf, a Scandinavian prince
characterized by bravery, integrity and altruism. The poem has an adventurous tone and is full of
encounters with supernatural creatures and great battle scenes. It is also pervaded by a strong sense
of sadness, which is a typical trait of Anglo-Saxon poetry.

Another important genre that flourished in this period was the elegy, characterized by a sense of
melancholy, the adoption of a meditative tone and the focus on the themes of loss and grief.
The most famous among Anglo-Saxon elegies is The Seafarer.

PAG 29
The main stylistic features of Anglo-Saxon poetry are:
1) they have a very precise pattern In fact they can be divided into two halves and each half is formed
by two main stresses
2) the use of rhetorical figures So this is called canning which would be the combination of two words
that forms a metaphor
3) the extensive use of alliteration the repetition of the same initial sound of a word

After the Norman conquest, the French language was the language that took over most of the territory
and this also influenced literary production.
The most widespread poetic genre at the time was the novel, whose topics were chivalry and courtly
love.

The Ballads medieval were another popular and famous genre in England as different poems were
always Accompanied by music the main subjects of the Ballad are historical events or deeds of
famous heroes.
The main characteristics of ballads are the use of common and simple language, the use of questions
and answers in a sentence and the presence of refrains.

PAG 30
As for Geoffrey the most important English masterpiece is the Canterbury Tales it is a poem written in
English, to write this poem the author chooses an English dialect, during his life he made trips to Italy
for this reason he got to know the works of Boccaccio which structure inspires it and uses it in his
poetry.

At that time the miraculous comedies which were dramas became more and more famous with the
passage of time; the latter were recited on the street by some actors on wagons. The latter are
characterized by a strong moral and by various allegories, the main theme is the struggle between
good and evil.
PAG 34
The authority at that time did not exist. In fact the works were conceived as collective works and not
of a single individual as for example the work of Beowulf As we can see before arriving at the final
part the author of Beowulf was commented by several characters he was a Christian and used Old
English language.

The events narrated in Beowulf take place in Scandinavia In the first place Beowulf arrives in the land
of ice cream at the Land of the Danes to free it from grendel, a monster that torments the city the
second part of the poem instead represents Beowulf as king and at that moment A Beowulf is asked
to fight against another dragon to save his land Beowulf defeats the monster but gets injured and dies
the story ends with Beowulf's funeral and as he requested his body was burned and was then kept
together with the dragon's treasure in a place overlooking the sea.

Beowulf is represented as a perfect and thoughtful character In fact all the heroic acts that formed a
fundamental part of the story confirmed the fact that he was the perfect hero brave selfless and
strong is the end of the story it represents death of Beowulf being seen as a sacrifice for the sake of
his promised land.

PAG 35
The most important themes of Beowulf are:
• the meaning of heroism and the qualities of a good leader
• the supernatural
• the struggle between good and evil the good represented by Beowulf and the evil of supernatural
characters
• Christian values

PAG 36
The Geat people built a pyre where in the center they placed the dead body of Beowulf to be burned.
They kindled one of their biggest fires and everyone cried in pain for their dead hero.
Everyone distraught sang dirges burying the remains of their king together with the treasure.