Literature from the Anglo-Saxon period through the Seventeenth Century
English Literature, literature produced in England, from the introduction of Old English by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century to the present.
The Anglo-saxon period extends from about 450 to 1066, the year of the Norman-French conquest of England. The Germanic tribes from Europe who overran England in the 5th century, after the Roman withdrawal, brought with them the Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, language, which is the basis of Modern English . They also brought a specific poetic tradition, the formal character of which remained surprisingly constant until the termination of their rule by the Norman-French invaders six centuries later.
Much of Old English poetry was probably intended to be chanted, with harp accompaniment, by the Anglo-Saxon scop, or bard. Often bold and strong, but also mournful and elegiac in spirit,as "The Wife's......
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Approximate Word Count: 3176
Approximate Pages: 13 (260 words per double-spaced page) |