critical history of english literature pdf

The Canterbury Tales became his best known and most acclaimed work. In 1357 he became a public servant to Countess Elizabeth of Ulster and continued in that capacity with the British court throughout his lifetime. Poet Geoffrey Chaucer was born circa 1340 in London, England. Aelfric’s prose is natural and easy and is very often alliterative. He is famous for his Grammar, Homilies and Lives of the Saints. Aelfric is another important prose writer during Old English period. Caedmon is famous for his Hymn.Īlfred enriched Old English prose with his translations especially Bede’s Ecclesiastical History. Cynewulf wrote religious poems and the four poems, Juliana, The Fates of the Apostles, Christ and Elene are always credited with him. Two important figures in Old English poetry are Cynewulf and Caedmon. Widsith, Genesis A, Genesis B, Exodus, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, Wife’s Lament, Husband’s Message, Christ and Satan, Daniel, Andreas, Guthlac, The Dream of the Rood, The Battle of Maldon etc. Instead they used alliteration.īesides Beowulf, there are many other Old English poems.

The difficulty encountered in reading Old English Literature lies in the fact that the language is very different from that of today. Though the poem Beowulf is little interesting to contemporary readers, it is a very important poem in the Old English period because it gives an interesting picture of the life and practices of old days. The poem concludes with the funeral ceremonies in honour of the dead hero. After a prosperous reign of some forty years, Beowulf slays a dragon but in the fight he himself receives a mortal wound and dies. The mother of Grendel who sought vengeance for the death of her son was also killed by Beowulf. Beowulf saves Danish King Hrothgar from a terrible monster called Grendel. In this epic poem, Beowulf sails to Denmark with a band of warriors to save the King of Denmark, Hrothgar. It is a story of a brave young man Beowulf in 3182 lines. The greatest English poem, Beowulf is the first English epic. Many of the poems of the period are pagan, in particular Widsith and Beowulf. The period is a long one and it is generally considered that Old English was spoken from about A.D.

The Old English language or Anglo-Saxon is the earliest form of English.

( 14 ) CHAPTER 1 OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE.

Critical history of english literature pdf