How to define the period of Old English Literature?
Old English Literature begins with the Anglo-Saxon settlement in England at about 450 and ends at 1066, the year of the Norman Conquest of England. Of Old English literature, a few relics are still preserved. All of them are poems, or songs by the Anglo-Saxon scop or gleeman(minstrels) who sang of the heroic deeds of old time.
What does Old English poetry include?
Generally speaking, the Old English poetry includes two groups: the religious group and the secular one. The former is mainly on biblical themes. For example, Genesis A, Genesis B, and Exodus are poems based on the Old Testament; while the latter shows the harshness of circumstance and the sadness of the human lot. A typical example is England’s national epic Beowulf.
What is epic?
An epic is an extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, like Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. It usually celebrates the feats of one or more legendary or traditional heroes. The action is simple but full of magnificence. Today, some long narrative works, like novels that reveal an age and its people, are also called epics.
How to define the period of Medieval English literature?
The period of Medieval English literature starts at 1066, the year of the Norman Conquest, and ends at about the 15th century. The early part of the period, i.e. from 1066 to the mid-14th century, is almost a barren one in literary creation. While in the latter period, starting from the second half of the 14th century, English literature flourishes with the appearance of writers like Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, John Gower, and others.
In comparison with Old English literature, Medieval English literature deals with a wider range of subjects .It is uttered by more voices and in a greater diversity of styles, tones and genres. And it is deeply influenced by the principles of the medieval Christian doctrine, which are primarily concerned with the issue of personal salvation. Romance becomes a popular literary form, indicating the age to be a chivalric rather than heroic one.
Heroic couplet
Heroic couplet is a rhyming couplet of iambic pentameter, often containing a complete thought. There is a fairly heavy pause at the end of the first line and a still heavier one at the end of the second. Commonly there is a parallel or an antithesis within a line, or between the two lines. It is called heroic because in England, especially in the eighteenth century, it was much used for heroic(epic) poems.
Alliteration
Also known as “head rhyme” or “initial rhyme”, it refers to the repetition of a similar sound, usually consonants or consonant cluster in a group of words. Sometimes the term is limited to the repetition of initial constant sound. When alliteration occurs at the beginning of words, it is called initial alliteration; when it occurs within words, it is called internal or hidden alliteration. It usually occurs on stressed syllables.
