Textuality » 3A Interacting

LFioretti - Beowulf Epic Poetry
by LFioretti - (2009-02-25)
Up to  Beowulf . Epic PoetryUp to task document list

Exercise 1

Page 60

Words That Speak

 

  1. When was Beowulf composed?
  2. How could the Anglo-Saxon poet compose his song in front of an audience without much preparation?
  3. Describe the form of a typical Anglo-Saxon line.
  4. What are the basic features of an epic poem like Beowulf?
  5. What kind of role did the poet have in Anglo-Saxon society?
  
  1. Beowulf was probably composed sometime during the 7th century but the only surviving manuscript dates from the 10th century and it is written in Anglo-Saxon.
  2. In front of an audience without much preparation, the Anglo-Saxon poet could compose his song thanks technical poetic devices.  
  3. The form of a typical Anglo-Saxon line used technical poetic devices. The lines in a poem were divided into two parts that were bound together by alliteration: this division is called caesura.
  4. The basic features of an epic poem like Beowulf are that it celebrates the deeds of one nation's hero, it tells about the values of a nation, it uses a stile usefull to have the people remember.
  5. In Anglo-Saxon society the poet was considered the voice and memory of the tribe.