Anglo-Saxon Period407 - 1066 AD

Celts Welsh language isolated for centuries Flamboyant descriptions

55 B.C. Julius Caesar invades Briton

55 B.C. - 407 A.D. Roman Influence Hadrian’s Wall -- separated Romans from Celts

407 AD Roman troops leave Britain to defend

Rome Civilized – agriculture, roads, architecture,

irrigation systems, baths, arts, music, Christianity

Anglo-Saxon Period407 to 1066 AD

449 AD – Anglo-Saxon Invasion

The Dark Ages Angles/Saxons/Jutes/Frisians Divided England into 7 kingdoms Angles were the most dominant

(Angle-land = England)

Stonehenge

Anglo-Saxon Culture Sea-faring people, love of battle Land of tribes/chieftains/warriors Short, bleak, violent lives Pagans (wyrd = fate) Druids (runic alphabet) Oral culture -- unable to read or write Understatement, ambiguity, innuendo, word-play,

riddles and circular poems

597 AD

St. Augustine establishes monastery at Canterbury

Christianity begins to spread -- Latin, Greek, and Hebrew

Venerable Bede – 1st historian of English history

750 AD

Beowulf Author unknown Epic, hero quest Oldest surviving poem

in English

793 AD

Vikings (Danes) start raiding and looting Gained control of North and East England

851 ADKing Alfred the

Great

Savior of the English language

Founder of English prose

Only English king to be called “the Great”

King Alfred the Great

1066 AD Anglo-Saxon period

ends with the Norman Conquest and the battle over control of England.

William the Conqueror defeats Harold II at Battle of Hastings to become King of England.

Language and Literature Roman alphabet replaces the runic alphabet Poetry, etc., are oral arts Printing was hand-written by scribes Very few manuscripts survived – Beowulf, Exeter

book, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Literature has elements of the time period –

battles, supernatural creatures, heroic deeds, pagan and Christian elements, fate, loyalty

Terms to Know

Caesura

A pause dividing a line into 2 parts

EXAMPLE: He took what he wanted // all the treasures

Alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

Epitaph: inscription on tomb, any verse commemorating someone who has died

Kenning

Metaphorical compound words or phrases substituted for simple nouns

“whale’s way” = sea “shepherd of evil” = Grendel

Narrative Poetry

Poetry that tells a story Epic is a narrative poem Strong rhythm Repetition of sounds/words/phrases/ideas Parallel grammatical structure

7 Characteristics of an Epic1. Hero of high social status or historical

importance2. Fateful actions3. Courageous and superhuman deeds4. Supernatural complications5. Large-scale setting, long journey6. Formal speeches7. Universal ideas/themes (good v. evil; life/death)

Beowulf