A Short History of English Poetry

Poetry is one of the most ancient of the artsOriginally fused with musicOften intended to be chanted (Often related

to religious movements)Often used to remember oral history, story

(epic poetry), law, prayers, myths etc.Musical rhythms were replaced with

linguistic ones when people became more literate

The Nature of Poetry

Germanic tribes from Europe who overran England in the 5th Century after the Roman withdrawal, brought with them the Old English language which is the basis of Modern English.

Anglo-Saxons had a pagan religion and ancient folk traditions but were converted to Christianity

Before the 7th Century, most stories were passed by word of mouth

When they started to record stories, they tended to rework the ancient Germanic traditions in Christian terms

Old Eng. poetry dealt, in heroic terms, with the crucial incidents of Christian and pre-Christian history and serving, just as the pagan poetry did, to guide men’s present actions by the example of the glorious past

Old English/Anglo-Saxon Era (450-1100)

Intended to be chantedBold and strong, mournful (elegy)Emphasized the helplessness of humansMuch was composed without rhymeUsed a great deal of structural alliterationSubject matter = heroes and spiritual

excitementE.g. Beowulf – an epic narrative (the only

surviving English one)

Old English Poetry:

Caedmon was a poet, cleric and historian Described as having received the gift of song from God Supposedly sand of the great events of the Old and New Testament in

order to “draw men away from the love of sin, and to excite in them devotion to well-doing and perseverance therein.”

He felt incompetent in the art of verse and shied away from singing One night in a dream, someone told him to sing, directing him to

celebrate creation Thereafter, he was able to express any given sacred topic in verse Became a monk and devoted his life to the composition of Christian

verse His hymn is “religious” in theme in contract to dominant paganism See handout for an excerpt How might we recognize this as poetry? (sound devices (alliteration)

Touchstone Poem of this time: Caedmon(7th Century) -Cædmon's Hymn

A sample:

Begins and ends with the funeral of a great king Describes the exploits of a Scandinavian cultural

hero, Beowulf. Beowulf helps the king of the Danes in destroying the monster Grendel, and Grendel’s mother. He becomes a king and after 50 years has passed he defeats a fire-breathing dragon but is fatally wounded in the battle.

Beowulf is shown not only as a glorious hero but as a saviour of the people

The Old Germanic virtue of mutual loyalty between leader and followers is evoked effectively and touchingly in the aged Beowulf’s sacrifice of his life

Consists of 3182 long lines of alliteration Another feature of “Beowulf” is the weakening of

the sense of the ultimate power of arbitrary fate The Christian idea of dependence on a just God is

evident Poet is unknown

Beowulf (8th-1oth Century)

First page of poem

Hwæt [what!] wē Gār-Dena [Spear-Danes] in geār-dagum [days of yore]

þēod-cyninga [king of a people] þrym [power] gefrūnon [hear of],

hū [how] ðā æþelingas [prince,hero] ellen [deeds of valour] fremedon [accomplish],

Oft [often] Scyld Scēfing [name: Danish dynasty of the Scyldings] sceaþena [enemy] þrēatum [troop],

monegum [many] mægþum [nation] meodo-setla [mead-bench] oftēah [take away];

egsian [terrify] eorl [warrior] syððan [after] ǣrest [first] weorþan [become]

Movie Trailer: http://youtu.be/v9qpqyO_dmU

Beowulf – a sample

Oral puzzles are probably as old as human language

Earliest known written puzzle, a riddle inscribed on a tablet dates to Babylonian times (beginning about 2000 B.C.

Riddles are found in many ancient documents, including the Bible, Koran, Greek mythology and Sanskrit manuscripts.

Riddles

Riddles: difficult or confusing questions presented as problems to be solved, are believed to be the earliest puzzles and a popular form of entertainment

E.g. legendary hero Oedipus solved the riddle of the sphinx at the peril of his own life

Conundrum: a riddle with a solution that relies on a pun

E.g. “What is black and white and red all over?” Pun on “red” and “all over”Solution: “A newspaper”

Let’s try to figure out a few!

See the overheadIs Shakespeare really that old?

Language Change

The Medieval Period (1100-1500)Middle English

http://www.slideshare.net/teachersheen/english-poetry-historical-overview