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Beowulf

Beowulf. British Literature Miss McDivitt Fall 2013. Epic Poetry. A long, stylized narrative poem celebrating the deeds of a national hero. Folk Epic- reflecting the customs, rituals, and ideals of a tribal society and an oral poetic tradition

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Beowulf

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  1. Beowulf British Literature Miss McDivitt Fall 2013

  2. Epic Poetry • A long, stylized narrative poem celebrating the deeds of a national hero. • Folk Epic- reflecting the customs, rituals, and ideals of a tribal society and an oral poetic tradition • Literary Epic- written in a more advanced civilization in imitation of the folk epic • Didactic • Concerned with teaching • To teach and to delight (to teach by delighting) • Implants a pattern of heroic conduct in reader’s mind • Traditionally written to educate a future ruler • Once regarded as chief of genres • Lost shared ideals • Novel (realism) has replaced epic (idealism)

  3. Epic Hero • Superhuman hero or god of an epic • noble birth or high position • character traits that reflect ideals of society • perform courageous, superhuman deeds • perform actions that determine the fate of a nation or group of people • Traditional heroic virtues of: • Fortitude (courage) and prudence (wisdom, acting with or showing care and thought for the future) • Loyalty and generosity • Saintly virtues: • Humility and trust

  4. Scop • Composers and storytellers who traveled from court to court • Entertainers of Anglo-Saxon times

  5. Comitatus • Germanic code of loyalty • Thanes, or warriors, swore loyalty to their king, for whom they fought and whom they protected. • The king was expected to be generous with gifts of land and treasure. • The king protected the thanes. • Kings were praised for generosity and hospitality. • Warriors were expected to be brave, courageous, and loyal. • Their reputation for such qualities was important.

  6. Wergild • “Man payment” • The practice of paying a slain man’s family to atone for his death and to prevent them from taking revenge against the manslayer.

  7. “One of the most important remains of Anglo-Saxon literature is the epic poem Beowulf. Its age is unknown; but it comes from a very distant and hoar antiquity….It is like a piece of ancient armor; rusty and battered, and yet strong.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

  8. Background • Author • Unknown • Probably one author • Male? • Christian Monk? • Audience • Probably both secular and Christian • “Published” • Probably around 8thcentury (700 A.D.)

  9. Physical Setting: Scandinavia • Takes place in 500 A.D. or earlier • Denmark and Geatland (now southern Sweden) • Proximity + Warrior code= frequent clashes • Ancient home of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes

  10. Social Setting: England (Anglo-Saxons) • Pagan religion • Marked by a strong sense of fatalism and doom • Could manipulate supernatural forces through spells and charms • Wanted glory • Valued family ties

  11. Middle Ages: Anglo-Saxons GOD KING WARRIORS (Thanes) Churls SLAVES

  12. Anglo-Saxons vs. Britons

  13. Early British History • Who first settled in England? • Britons • Where did they come from? • Genesis 10 • Japheth: Gomer, Magog, and Javan • What were the Britons like? • No written records • Moved from hunter/gatherers to farmers • Used bronze and stone tools?

  14. Stonehenge • More than a million man hours of labor • Most people died in their 30s • Extended over generations • Some stones imported from Wales • Trade • Organization • Diplomacy • No connection to the Druids • Worship of deities?

  15. Early British History • Who settled England next? • The Celts • What were the Celts like? • Difficult to define • Pagan- Polytheists • Human & animal sacrifices • Traded with France (Gaul) • Divided into small or larger tribes • Strong class divisions • Warrior aristocracy • Used chariots in fighting • Painted themselves blue before battle • Druidism • Class of men: exempt from taxes and military service, memorized poetic literature, had knowledge of herbs, medicinal plants, divining techniques, and religious ritual • Political & intellectual leaders

  16. Early British History • Who invaded England? • Rome • When? • 55 B.C. • Julius Caesar • Quickly withdrew • Effects? • Celtic society transformed by Roman contact and rule • Recorded historical evidence • Trade increased • British aristocratic lifestyle became more Romanized

  17. Early British History • When did the Conquest begin? • 43 A.D. • By Claudius • When did they leave? • Around 410 A.D.

  18. Middle Ages

  19. Middle Ages: Anglo-Saxons GOD KING WARRIORS (Thanes) SLAVES

  20. Manuscript • Only one surviving manuscript • Copy dating from 1000 A.D. • Damaged by a fire in 1731 • Heroic virtue in a pagan setting from a Christian point of view

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