Anglo-Saxon Literature

Anglo-Saxon Literature

Review this slide presentation and answer the question items given in the presentation.

The Anglo-Saxons:

410-1066 A.D.

205

A.D.
600

A.D.
900

A.D.
1200

300
B.C.

A.D. 1

A.D.
300

The Anglo-Saxons: 449-1066

A.D. 449 –
Anglo –
Saxon
Invasion

A.D. 878 –
King
Alfred
against
the Danes

A.D. 1066
– Norman
Invasion

55 B.C. –
A.D. 409
Roman Occupation

A.D.
400-699 –
Spread of
Chrisitianity

300s B.C. –
Celts in
Britian

Multiple Choice

How many years did the Anglo-Saxon period last?

• 200

• 400

• 600

• 800

Multiple Choice

Where did England get its name?

• From an area called Angle-land

• From an area the Jutes called Briton.

• From the German word for 'king."

• From the Saxon word for "monarch."

The Celts in Britain

Before and During the 4th

Century B.C.

⚫ Britain was home to several

Celtic tribes

⚫ Britain named for one Celtic

tribe – the Brythons

⚫ King Arthur – Famous Celtic

King (516?)

⚫ Celtic religion was a form of

animism (belief that
gods/spirits controlled all
aspects of life and could
take the form of trees,
rivers, fire, thunder, etc.)

Multiple Choice

Where did Britain get its name?

• From a Celtic area known as Saxon.

• From a Celtic tribe known as Briton.

• From a Taylor Swift song.

• None of the answers is correct.

Multiple Choice

Who was a famous king from the period of the Celts?

• King James (LeBron that is.)

• King Arthur

• Travis Kelcey (Taylor Swift's current boyfriend)

• King James (You know, from the Bible.)

The Roman Occupation

55 B.C.

⚫ Julius Caesar invades Britain
A.D. 43

⚫ Celts defeated by Claudius

⚫ Romans build walls, villas,

baths, roads.

A.D. 409

⚫ Romans evacuate their

troops

⚫ Britain left vulnerable to

attack

⚫ Central government breaks

down

Fill in the Blank

When the ______ left the area, the Britons were extremely vulnerable to attacks from outside forces.

The Anglo-Saxon Invasion

A.D. 449 – The Anglo-Saxons push the Celts into

the Far West of the country.

Anglo-Saxon Society

⚫ Warrior-based society, led by a strong warrior

chief

⚫ “Warfare was the order of the day” (between

clans, tribes, and outside invaders)

⚫ Anglo-Saxon life was dominated by the need

to protect the clan and home from enemies.

⚫ Fame and success were achieved through

loyalty to a leader, and success was
measured by gifts received from leaders.

The Anglo-Saxon Invasion

Multiple Choice

What was a major focus of Anglo-Saxon life?

• Cell phones. Isn't everyone focused on his/her phone?

• Not getting killed by invaders.

• Saxophones. And angels.

• Finding a new ruler.

The Anglo-Saxon Invasion

⚫ Women had many rights in

Anglo-Saxon society.
Women inherited and held
property (even when
married) and were offered
substantial gifts of money
and land from prospective
husbands.

⚫ English emerged as a

written language during this time.

Multiple Select

Why is the Anglo-Saxon Period considered to be so important by historians and scholars? (Select all that apply!)

• English emerged as a written language.

• Stories from this era are still performed on stages throughout the world.

• Women had rights and property.

• The Romans were no longer as influential in the culture of the time.

⚫ The Anglo-Saxon Religion

⚫ offered no hope of an afterlife…only fame

offered immortality and provided a defense
against death.

⚫ valued concept of the “Heroic

Ideal”…earthly virtues of bravery, loyalty,
generosity, and friendship.

The Anglo-Saxon Invasion

Norse God

Anglo-Saxon God Day of week

Odin

Woden

Wednesday

Thor

Thunor

Thursday

Multiple Choice

Why would Anglo-Saxon literature have a serious tone?

• The Anglo-Saxon people didn't want to enjoy themselves.

• The Anglo-Saxon religion offered no hope for an afterlife.

• The Anglo-Saxon people were worried that Taylor Swift would write a song about them.

• The Anglo-Saxon people missed being ruled by the Romans.

The Anglo-Saxon Invasion

⚫ The Anglo-Saxon bards

⚫ called “scops”
⚫ skilled storytellers and

honored members of society.

⚫ sang of heroic deeds
⚫ regarded as equals to warriors

⚫ Why were they important

⚫ Anglo-Saxons did not believe

in an afterlife

⚫ Warriors gained immortality

through songs preserved in the
collective memory

Multiple Choice

What is a "scop?"

• A poet that tells a story.

• A cop with a speech impediment.

• A "Student Caught Outside Playing."

• None of the answers is correct.

⚫ 8th–9th centuries

⚫ Vikings, called Danes, invade

Britain

⚫ 871 Alfred of Wessex becomes

King of England.

⚫ 878 King Alfred unifies the

Anglo-Saxons against the
Danes. England becomes a
nation.

⚫ Alfred was also known for

reviving an interest in
learning and the English
language.

King Alfred the Great against the Danes

Multiple Choice

Who invaded the area of the Anglo-Saxons in the 8th-9th century?

• The Scots.

• The Germans.

• The Danes (also called the Vikings).

• The Swifties (They are everywhere and always have been.)

Multiple Choice

What is a reason that King Alfred was important?

• He emphasized learning and created an interest in the Engllish language.

• He led the Celts to join in an alliance with French.

• He wrote Beowulf.

• He beat up Taylor Swift's boyfriend.

The Spread of Christianity

⚫ Around A.D. 400

⚫ Christian monks

settle in Britain

⚫ Christianity and

Anglo-Saxon
culture co-exist

⚫ By A.D. 699

⚫ British pagan

religions are replaced
by Christianity

Multiple Choice

By what year had the pagan religion been primarily replaced?

• 200 A.D.

• 500 A.D.

• 600 B.C.

• 700 A.D.

The Norman Invasion

⚫ 1066

⚫ William of Normandy crosses the English

Channel

⚫ William defeats Harold and the Anglo-Saxon army

⚫ French replaces English as the language of the

ruling class

⚫ Leading Genres: Poetry and Riddles

⚫ Epics (narrative/story-like)

⚫ Elegiac mood (somber, sorrowful tone)

⚫ Strong rhythm and no rhyme

⚫ Lyrical (focuses more on emotion)

Literature of the Period

Multiple Choice

True or False

After the Norman invasion, much of the literature was known for its use of rhyme.

• True

• False

⚫ Animism – Celtic belief that gods/spirits

controlled all aspects of life and could take the form
of trees, rivers, fire, thunder, etc.

⚫ Fatalism – Anglo-Saxon belief that the course of

one’s life was predetermined by fate.

⚫ Bards – skilled storytellers and honored members

of society. The Anglo-Saxons called them “scops,”
and they were not regarded as inferior to
warriors…actually, the Anglo-Saxons viewed
creating poetry as important as fighting, hunting,
farming, and loving (because of religion).

Terms

Fill in the Blank

The belief that one's life was controlled by fate was called:

.

Multiple Choice

The Celtic belief that gods/spirits could take the form of trees, rocks, rivers, etc., was called:

• fatalism

• animism

• bardism

• None of these answers is correct.

⚫ Vernacular – language of the people > Old English.

⚫ Alliteration – repetition of consonant sounds at the

beginning of words (ex: the wind whips through the
woods).

⚫ Caesura – rhythmical pause separating a line of verse

into halves.

⚫ Kennings – descriptive compound words that evoke

vivid images (“sea-stallions” and “whale-road”).

⚫ Epic – a long, narrative poem that relates the great

deeds of a larger than life hero who embodies (is made
up of and reflects) the values of a particular society.

Terms

Multiple Choice

Which is an example of alliteration?

• I could spend hours walking in the flowers.

• Hear the mellow wedding bells.

• The car danced across the icy road.

• The terrible tiger tore the towel.

Multiple Choice

An elegy is

• a poem or a song written in honor of someone who is deceased.

• a poem or a song written in to honor and celebrate a rite of passage.

• a poem or a song written in honor of someone who defeats evil.

• a poem or a song written in honor of someone who is a seafarer.

Multiple Choice

Which is an example of assonance?

• The terrible tiger tore the towel.

• I made my way to the lake.

• The car danced on the icy road.

• She's thinner than a toothpick.

Multiple Choice

Which is NOT true about a caesura in poetry?

• A caesura is always placed in the exact middle of a line of poetry.

• ´The purpose of using a caesura is to create a dramatic pause, which has a strong impact.

• ´It is usually marked by some form of punctuation such as a period, comma, ellipsis, dash, or two lines either slashed or upright //.

• It is a two-part line – each line is separated by a pause or break in the middle of the line.

Multiple Choice

What is a kenning?

• It is a figure of speech in which an idea or thing is given human qualities and/or feelings.

• It is the practice of using symbols to represent ideas and qualities.

• It is an exaggerated statement of claim not to be taken literally.

• It is the process of using a metaphorical two-word phrase in the place of a one-word concrete noun.

Multiple Choice

How many types of kenning are there?

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Multiple Select

What does imagery do in poetry? Check all that applies.

• Imagery creates similar snapshots in a reader's mind.

• Imagery uses an object to represent an idea.

• Imagery can draw readers into a sensory experience.

• Imagery helps readers imagine exactly what is being described.

• Imagery appeals only to our sense of sight, smell, and touch.

An Introduction
to BEOWULF

⚫ Story handed down orally for generations,

naturally with changes and embellishments.

⚫ 3,200 lines long

⚫ Poet unknown…scholars think it was originally

told by someone of the pagan religion but
recorded by a monk due to Christian elements
present in the story.

BEOWULF

⚫ 1st great work of English national literature

⚫ Composed between 700-750, but depicts an

earlier time period…early 6th century.

⚫ An example of “heroic literature” and, as such,

is composed of many traditional motifs and
recurring elements.

⚫ Beowulf’s name means “Bear”…??

⚫ The epic is a mythical and literary record of the

formative stages of English civilization.

BEOWULF

1. It is an expression of Anglo-Saxon values

and attitudes:

⚫ Warfare was the order of the day

⚫ Fatalism

⚫ Courage, loyalty and honor

⚫ The battle of Good versus Evil

⚫ Boasting

⚫ Storytelling (bards/scops held key to

immortality)

So Why is Beowulf an important

work of Literature?

2. It is an archetypal example of an epic:

⚫ Long

⚫ Narrative

⚫ Adventures of a central hero with

supernatural powers

⚫ Worldwide or cosmic setting

⚫ Major battle scenes

⚫ Discussion of hero’s weaponry

⚫ Participation by God (or Gods) in action

So Why is Beowulf an important

work of Literature?

3. It is an example of Old English poetry:

⚫ 4-beat rhythm

⚫ No rhyme

⚫ Alliteration

⚫ Kennings

⚫ Caesuras

So Why is Beowulf an important

work of Literature?

Multiple Select

Why is Beowulf such an important work of literature?

• It is an expression of Anglo-Saxon values.

• It is an archetypical example of an epic.

• It is a great example of Old English poetry.

• It is Taylor Swift's favorite poem.