History of ancient English literature

1. History of ancient English literature

IX-X centuries

2. Introduction

Very few Old English text survived the devastating invasions of the Danes. The greatest work
of this time is "Beowulf", as well as various elegies and short stories of this period. The peak of
the revival of English literature was the reign of King Alfred (871-899) . During this period,
ancient Latin texts were translated, new prose was written.
The heyday of Anglo-Saxon prose falls on the period from the end of the IX to the beginning of
the XI century, the period of political hegemony of Wessex and the dominance of its dialect,
which then rose to the degree of "common English" written language. The ancient poetic
tradition at this time, if not completely interrupted, then fades; the creative period of AngloSaxon poetry remains behind; the current Wessex literature from the end of the IX century is
already mostly prose literature.

3.

Beowulf, heroic poem, the highest achievement of Old English literature and the
earliest European vernacular epic. The work deals with events of the early 6th
century, and, while the date of its composition is uncertain, some scholars believe that it
was written in the 8th century. Although originally untitled, the poem was later named
after the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, whose exploits and character provide its
connecting theme. There is no evidence of a historical Beowulf, but some characters,
sites, and events in the poem can be historically verified. The poem did not appear in
print until 1815.

4. POEM ABOUT BEOWULF

The poem about Beowulf has come down to us inthe only
manuscript of the early tenth century, written by two
different scribes. This manuscripts currently kept in the
British Museum in London. In 1731, it was badly damaged
by a fire. It was first published by the Dane Thorkelin in
1815, and the first English edition dates back to 1833.The
poem splits into two parts, connected only by the
personality of the main character, Beowulf. Each of these
parts mainly tells about the exploits of Beowulf; in the first
(verses1-1887) tells how Beowulf savedthe neighboring
country from two terrible monsters, inthe second (from
verse 2220 to the end) is how he reignedin his homeland
and happily ruled for fiftyyears since he defeated the firebreathing dragon, and he himselfdied from the poisonous
wounds inflicted on him by the dragon andwas buried with
honor by his squad.

5. Excerpt from the poem "Beowulf"

Excerpt from the poem "Beowulf"
«There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,
A wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes.
This terror of the hall-troops had come far.
A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on
As his powers waxed and his worth was proved.
In the end each clan on the outlying coasts
Beyond the whale-road had to yield to him
And begin to pay tribute. That was one good king...»
The text was written on Old English Language, so it was
translated by Seamus Heaney

6. Interesting Facts

7. Interesting facts about “Beowulf”

1.
J. R. R. Tolkien's translation was published in 2014 under the title "Beowulf: Translation and Commentary".
It was this poem that prompted Tolkien to create The Lord of the Rings.
2.
The only extant manuscript of Beowulf, dating from the end of the X century, is included in the so-called
Cotton Collection and is now kept in the British Museum.

8. Thank you for your attention!