British Literature I: Introduction and Anglo-Saxon Exam Preparation
Fabliaux.
A metrical tale, typically a bawdily humorous one, of a type found chiefly in early French poetry.
Elegy.
A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.
Anhaga.
A recluse; a loner.
Cain.
Father of the race of monsters.
Wulfstan.
His answer to the terrors and moral collapse of his nation combines spiritual and political perspectives -- do justice, obey the law, keep faith, and remember the waiting torments of Hell.
Hrethric.
Hrothgar's son.
Angevin Empire.
In this empire, about half of France was ruled by England.
"The Battle of Maldon."
In this poem, a Viking messenger cannily tires to exploit potential differences in class or status among the troops, but the narrator portrays the English army as united by loyalty to their leader and a desire for honor.
Litotes.
Ironic understatements, not uncommon in Anglo-Saxon poetry.
"Exodus."
It is also a poem of strenuous energy and sweeping action, very much a representative -- some would say the best example in Old English -- of the heroic style.
Black raven.
Known as a harbinger of joy, announcing the surprising good news of a dawn without slaughter.
Translatio imperii.
Latin for 'the transfer of the imperial power.'
Exegetical knowledge.
Literature, referring to talking about the interpretation(s) of Scripture.
Geats/Weders.
A Germanic tribe.
Comitatus.
A bond existing between a Germanic warrior and his lord, ensuring that neither leaves the battle before the other (or, before the lord).
Existentialism.
With this belief, existence precedes essence (i.e., what you "are"/your soul). It stems from atheism, more or less.
Existential anxiety.
Occurs when one doesn't know what happens after death, and obsesses over this question.
Existential relief.
Occurs when one lives authentically with the thought that they're eventually going to die.
Exempla.
These "stories" have a moral lesson and may be used as a part of sermons.
Ricardian poets.
They did not regard originality in the modern sense as an essential component of a literary work's value.
The Battle of Maldon.
This battle may have been regarded as the turning-point in Anglo-Danish relations; this poem was presumably composed to commemorate the brave destruction of the English army and their leader.
"Judith."
This book and poem tell the story of a pious Hebrew widow, Judith, who rescues the people of the besieged city of Bethulia by beheading the Assyrian general Holofernes as he attempts to seduce her.
Hagiography.
This included stories of the lives of saints.
Breton lay.
This is a short narrative with, usually, a significant element of the marvelous and a central emphasis on a romantic relationship rather than large-scale political or military events. Its emphasis on the supernatural, which is often attributed to their origin in the Celtic culture of Brittany, is reminiscent at times of the early-twelfth century prose tales of the 'Mabinogi' from medieval Wales.
"Judith."
This poem abounds in hypermetric lines (lines with more than the four stresses normally found in lines of Old English poetry, in irregular alliteration, and in rhyme, a very rare feature in Old English poetry.
Gnomic poetry.
This type of writing deals with ethical questions (e.g., wisdom poetry of the Bible).
True.
True or False: "Exodus" seem to compare to Christ's Harrowing of Hell (i.e., rescuing the captives).
True.
True or False: Hygelac's pride (e.g., demonstrated by his looking for a feud/battle) led to his fall. Also, Hygelac was not supportive of Beowulf's helping Hrothgar with Grendel; his sour attitude wasn't wise, because by giving Beowulf's help could strengthen ties with Hrothgar. In sum: Hygelac is the antithesis of Hrothgar. So, after Beowulf's death, Hygelac's people are in trouble.
True.
True or False: In 1214, everyone had to go to confession at least once a year.
True.
True or False: In Aelfric's retelling Judith is not only a Hebrew fighting against the Assyrians but also a saintly Christian queen defending her homeland against pagan invaders.
True.
True or False: In Anglo-Saxon literature, look for big, broad themes, which permeate the literature.
True.
True or False: Each of the three strokes of the Green Knight have a direct relation to the three temptations (think about the three temptations of Christ in the wilderness).
True.
True or False: Emotional exile is one of the strongest forms of exile.
True.
True or False: England is extremely influential in how we view modern Christianity today.
True.
True or False: First and foremost, Wulfstan (the Homilist) is a pastor, and in his homilies one can see how his political and civil interests are woven into his spiritual concerns.
True.
True or False: God helps Beowulf to defeat Grendel's mother. (Later on, Wiglaf helps Beowulf to defeat the dragon.)
True.
True or False: Grendel doesn't have a father; therefore, in that society, he really doesn't have an identity.
True.
True or False: Grendel's mother's blood melts the sword Beowulf uses to kill her.
True.
True or False: Henry II's reign saw the production and wide dissemination of numerous literary and historical works that proved foundational for British literature, especially the development of the Arthurian legend.
True.
True or False: Heorot is the name of Hrothgar's hall, and, in Modern English, translates as "hart" (i.e., an adult male deer).
True.
True or False: Hrothgar had Heorot.
True.
True or False: Hrothgar's "sermon" is the touchstone, by which we can measure everything else.
True.
True or False: Hrothgrar provided hospitality for Beowulf's father Ecgtheow, etc.
True.
True or False: Hygelac's kingdom is going to be impacted negatively with the death of Hrothgar. Moreover, Hygelac is not as concerned about the future of his kingdom upon his death, in contrast with Hrothgar.
True.
True or False: What is the purpose of the Green Chapel being in the wilderness? Also, its emphasis on nature -- what's that about? Is there a mixing of paganism with Christianity by the Green Chapel being in the wilderness?
True.
True or False: When first meeting Hrothgar, Beowulf introduces himself as being the son of Ecgtheow (see p. 72).
True.
True or False: When the Northumbrian historian Bede wrote his 'Ecclesiastical History of the English People' around 725, religion was the only unity the English had; political unity had to grow out of this unity of religious practice.
True.
True or False: With the changing of cultures, Christianity is modified. Examining the "morphing" of Christianity (i.e., how it is portrayed during certain eras) is fascinating, and worth noting.
True.
True, according to Dr. Ganze: "Stay away from Cogell's (sp?) translation of 'The Canterbury Tales.' It's a piece of shit." ;P
Wearmouth-Jarrow monastery.
Was famous for being a learning center (e.g., publishing, library, etc.).
Beowulf's motives for slaying the dragon are, 1) he's the only one strong enough to do it, and 2) he's tempted by the treasure.
What are Beowulf's motives for slaying the dragon?
Large bounties of land.
What does Beowulf give to Hygelac upon his return to Geatland?
His own land to rule (essentially, Hygelac makes Beowulf a lord).
What does Hygelac give Beowulf upon his return?
Sword. Gift-giving in that culture, respectively, is important.
What gift does Beowulf give to the warrior who guarded his ship?
"Sapientia et Fortitudo."
What means "wisdom and strength" in Latin?
Beowulf.
What seems to define a man in this poem are his actions and deeds -- not really material wealth.
Hygelac's son, Heardred.
Who becomes king of the Geats after Hygelac dies?
Hrothgar.
Who comes across as being "the voice of wisdom" in 'Beowulf'?
Hrothgar.
Who strength is characterized as "something of the past"?
Hygd is important, because she provides a great example of good queenship. Modthryth is her foil (i.e., Hygd's opposite).
Why is Hygd important?
Ecgtheow.
Beowulf's father.
Unferth.
Beowulf's foil.
Hrethel.
Beowulf's grandfather.
Hrunting.
Beowulf's sword.
Hygelac.
Beowulf's uncle.
Literature, which attempts to teach a lesson.
Didactic literature.
True.
True or False: Typically, in Germanic poetry, it is women (and poets) who mourn.
True.
True or False: Unferth at first belittles the position and character of Beowulf.
English, British, Irish, Pictish and Latin.
Bede listed these languages as the five languages of Britain.
Numerology.
Refers to drawing meaning from certain numbers (e.g., the pentangle -- perhaps representing the five wounds of Christ, the Pentateuch/Torah, etc.).
Typology.
Refers to finding connections and identifying potential interpretations.
True.
True or False: Unferth gives Beowulf Hrunting (the sword) before he enters the mere, to show Beowulf that he supports him.
Abbess Hild.
She was not only an example of holy life to those who lived in her monastery, but provided an opportunity for repentance and salvation to many who lived far away who heard the happy news of her diligence and virtue.
Kenning.
Special compound word that's being used to create some sort of poetic image (e.g., "bone-house").
Scyldings.
The Danes.
Scylfings.
The Swedes.
True.
True or False: Wealhtheow's most concerned about her sons.
Byhrnoth.
The hero of "The Battle of Maldon."
Heorot.
The magnificent hall built by the Danish king Hrothgar.
Grendel.
The monster in 'Beowulf.'
Wolf, raven, and eagle.
The traditional Germanic "beasts of battle."
Hengest and Horsa.
The two brothers who are the first commanders of the Saxons in Britain (see pp. 20-21).
True.
True or False: "The Battle of Maldon" is not a news report, but rather a reflection on the complex relation between military victory and moral triumph; it draws on the conventions of heroic poetry to give motive and meaning to the historical facts, and turns the humiliation of Byrhtnoth's death and defeat into a celebration of other virtues such as courage and steadfastness. The poem may idealize the voices and actions of ordinary soldiers facing certain death, but it does not glorify their leaders or their causes; though the Vikings are by no means depicted as heroic, or even as individuals, the poem's moral absolutes are not arranged as an English "us" against a Viking "them," but as a personal choice between courage and cowardice, loyalty and treachery, which is only made clearer by the impossibility of victory.
True.
True or False: "The Wanderer" addresses entropy (in lines 58-63) and gnomic wisdom (in lines 73-80); that is, "this is the way the world works," essentially.
True.
True or False: "The Wanderer" addresses stoicism in lines 15-21 (e.g., "I have had to take my own heart... and bind it in fetters.").
True.
True or False: "Writing history" had much to do with legitimizing claims (e.g., developing an ancient history for Britain, Arthurian legends).
True.
True or False: "Writing" history is crucial.
True.
True or False: 'Beowulf' had accumulated Christian references over time.
True.
True or False: 'Beowulf' is elegiac.
True.
True or False: 'Beowulf,' the earliest full-length heroic poem in any Germanic language, was claimed by the English (because of its length), the Danes (because of its subject), and the Germans (because of its setting in the pre-Christian north).
True.
True or False: 'Pilgrim's Progress' (with allegorical stories) is considered to be a morality play.
True.
True or False: A lot of Arthurian literature is filled with impulsive characters.
True.
True or False: A lot of monuments in England were destroyed by the Blitz during World War II. (Thank you, Adolf Hitler.)
True.
True or False: A manuscript containing 'Beowulf' and a small collection of other texts... was copied by two scribes, probably in the decade after 1000, in a monastic center somewhere in the south of England. It an eclectic anthology containing prose and verse, hagiography and secular heroism, oriental and biblical and Germanic lore; its contents baffle our modern expectations of genre... It is sometimes called the Nowell Codex.
True.
True or False: A mystery play usually has to do with the Bible.
True.
True or False: According to Coifi, the pagan religion of the Anglo-Saxons was unable to answer the important question of what takes place after death, and if there is something more than reality.
True.
True or False: After the Plague, the feudal system more or less collapsed. In English literature, we see this system fall apart (more or less).
True.
True or False: Alfred began promoting education and literary culture. What is of incalculable importance for the history of English literature is that he proposed to encourage the translation of Latin works into English and the cultivation of vernacular literacy.
True.
True or False: Alliteration and stress, then, held the lines of an Old English poem together, as meter and rhyme hold together the lines of a Shakespearean sonnet; they were not decorative, as they are in modern poetry, but necessary structural elements.
True.
True or False: Bede says that five languages are spoken in England. They may be compared to the Pentateuch (also known as the Torah).
True.
True or False: Bede wrote a majority of his work in Latin.
True.
True or False: Bede's talent as a historian was his ability to take multiple sources -- documents, other histories, local oral traditions and legends -- and weave them together into a coherent narrative.
True.
True or False: Beowulf does not use weapons in defeating Grendel, because he feels it wouldn't be fair for Grendel.
True.
True or False: Beowulf hangs Grendel's claw from a rafter.
True.
True or False: Beowulf stops Grendel by ripping his arm off (which he later hangs from the rafter).
True.
True or False: Beowulf's most faithful thane, Aeschere, is killed by Grendel's mother.
True.
True or False: British literature is usually contextualized -- at least by its culture -- to be echoes of the larger story (i.e., the story stretching from Genesis to Revelation).
True.
True or False: Brutus is mentioned at both the beginning and the end of 'Sir Gawain.'
True.
True or False: Caedmon writes about creation.
True.
True or False: Caedmon's 'Hymn' (which Bede records in Latin, not English) is sometimes treated as the first English Christian poetic work.
True.
True or False: Christianity helps the Anglo-Saxons get over the existential anxiety. It focuses on the non-material world and eternity -- thus finding happiness. We as humans want to be able to put our faith/trust in something.
True.
True or False: During the reign of King Aethelred "the Unready" (978-1016) England experienced a renewed campaign of Viking attacks, which increased in strength and effect until the Danish king Cnut became king of England in 1016.
True.
True or False: During this period, hunting was a stylized sport.
True.
True or False: During this period, people wanted something which wasn't emphasizing perfection; for example, they liked the historiographies for their relatability.
True.
True or False: In Anglo-Saxon structure, there is much interlacing in design (e.g., Celtic design) in art, jewelry, manuscripts, architecture, etc. For example, Leyerle's Argument, in which chronology is ignored -- the poet interlaces these episodes to achieve juxtaposition impossible in a linear narrative.
True.
True or False: In Europe, schools had existed for the most part only in association with cathedrals or monasteries and their chief purpose was to provide training for clerics.
True.
True or False: In a majority of writings, they lament their overall lack of stability.
True.
True or False: In the Middle Ages, people slept nude (think of the sexual testing of Gawain).
True.
True or False: It is important that 'Sir Gawain' starts with "writing history" at Troy. Indeed, the Britons strongly want for their classical origins to be connected with the Trojans (i.e., with Brutus as their representative).
True.
True or False: Like many medieval works, 'Beowulf' is frustratingly ambivalent -- it is not quite mythical enough to be read apart from the history it purports to contain, nor historical enough to furnish clear evidence for the past it poetically recreates.
True.
True or False: Many modern historians and literary scholars see the Renaissance of the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries as representing the final flowering of medieval culture rather than a dramatic break with the past.
True.
True or False: Monastic culture flourished so vigorously in the north of England that one scholar has described Northumbria in the generations around 700 as a "veritable monastic Riviera."
True.
True or False: More recent work recognizes that 'Beowulf,' like the culture of the Anglo-Saxons themselves, reflects a variety of interdependent and competing influences and attitudes, even a certain tension inherent in the combination of biblical, patristic, secular Latin, and popular Germanic material. The search for a single "audience" of 'Beowulf,' and with it a sense of a single meaning, has given way to a recognition of a plurality of readers and interests in Anglo-Saxon England.
True.
True or False: Morgan le Fay imprisons Merlin after she learns what she needs to know from him.
True.
True or False: Most Middle English romances date from the late-thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, probably reflecting the linguistic tendencies of their primary audience, the French-speaking nobility, before the fourteenth century.
True.
True or False: Most of England was united under King Alfred the Great of Wessex, who reigned from 871 to 899. Alfred was able to raise a substantial army and stop the Vikings militarily; while the Vikings maintained control over the north and northeast of England, Alfred and his successors controlled most of the remainder of the country.
True.
True or False: Most of the elegies concern the concept of exile (widely discussed in the Judeo-Christian faith). We are all exiles from the Garden of Eden. Life is viewed as a pilgrimage. "The Seafarer" especially addresses this concept.
True.
True or False: Other Symmetrical Events -First temptation: Gawain displays timidity; Bersilak hunts a deer. -Second temptation: Gawain displays ferocity; Bersilak hunts a wild boar. -Third temptation: Gawain displays cunning; Bersilak hunts a fox. Lady Bersilak is essentially hunting Gawain.
True.
True or False: Quite a bit of hagiography ends with the saint being martyred for the faith.
True.
True or False: Regarding the Gregorian mission: At the time of the mission Britain was the only part of the former Roman Empire which remained in pagan hands and the historian Eric John argues that Gregory desired to bring the last remaining pagan area of the old empire back under Christian control.
True.
True or False: The 'Ecclesiastical History' imagines an "English" people united not so much by culture or language or geography as by faith, the Roman Christianity brought to the island by Augustine of Canterbury and other missionaries sent by Pope Gregory the Great in 597.
True.
True or False: The Anglo-Norman (in French) literature's lyric poetry was not based on rhyme scheme.
True.
True or False: The Balance of Contraries -The revolution of the seasons -The warlike shield and its religious emblem -The unpleasant journey and the agreeable life at Bersilak's castle -Fasting and feasting -Youth and age -Beauty and ugliness (e.g., Lady Bersilak and Morgan le Fay) -The exchange of winnings (Bersilak's hunting and Gawain's chivalry)
True.
True or False: The Biblical story of Creation is written on the hilt of the sword that Beowulf presents to Hrothgar.
True.
True or False: The Britons claimed descent from Brutus, grandson (or, in some accounts, great-grandson) of the Trojan hero Aeneas.
True.
True or False: The Exeter Book is a fascinating collection whose contents range from serious religious poetry on the Advent and Ascension of Christ, to verse lives of St. Guthlac and Juliana, to a reworking of a Latin poem on the Phoenix, to a collection of almost 100 verse riddles which are sometimes comical or obscene.
True.
True or False: The Five "Social" Virtues -Boundless beneficence (Franchise) -Brotherly love -Pure Mind (Chastity) -Pure Manners (Courtesy) -Compassion
True.
True or False: The Five Fingers represent the five virtues: Justice, Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, and Obedience (to divine will, human authority, and one's own reason). These virtues are being tested in 'Sir Gawain.'
True.
True or False: The Five Joys of Mary -The Annunciation -The Nativity -The Resurrection -The Ascension -The Assumption (the Catholic belief, which assumes that Mary doesn't die, but rather is taken up into Heaven -- body and soul -- much like Elijah and Moses).
True.
True or False: The Five Senses both represent themselves and the sins of the five senses. They are generally juxtaposed with the five spiritual senses (after rebirth), which are the bodily senses made perfect.
True.
True or False: The Five Wounds of Christ -Meditation on the wounds of Christ can be seen as affective piety (i.e., focusing on the EMOTIONAL response to Christ's suffering). A lot of mystics started writing during this period, as well. -Some manuscripts on the five wounds have red pentangles drawn on Christ's figure, connecting the five wounds.
True.
True or False: The French added Lancelot to the Arthurian legends.
True.
True or False: The Green Knight thinks Gawain's offense to be minor. Moreover, Gawain's confession to the Green Knight is a proper confession, although he blames Lady Bersilak for tempting him -- an allusion to the Garden of Eden's timeless act.
True.
True or False: The Pentangle: -Symbol associated with Solomon. -Solomon is associated with wisdom, but also with a downfall caused by his lust for women. -The pentangle is an endless knot -- it can be drawn without lifting pen from paper (cf. Old English interlace art).
True.
True or False: The Saxons came to Britain to aid them against the Picts and the Irish; however, they ended up invading England.
True.
True or False: The Thematic Significance of the Hygelac Episodes (in 'Beowulf'): -Society requires a king who acts for the common good, not for his own glory -- the fatal contradiction at the core of heroic society (i.e., the hero as king dynamic hardly works, because he can't be in two places at once).
True.
True or False: The Viking presence contributed significantly to the unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and the first stirrings of what might be called, for lack of a better term, national feeling, both in Scotland and in England.
True.
True or False: The author of 'Beowulf' was certainly a "Christian."
True.
True or False: The class covers 700 AD to 1787 AD.
True.
True or False: The conversion of Edwin is in many ways the central event in Bede's long history -- it sets England firmly on the road to Christianity and represents the crowning achievement of the mission of Augustine of Canterbury, sent by Pope Gregory the Great to convert the island.
True.
True or False: The dragon destroys buildings in Beowulf's domain, causing Beowulf to take action.
True.
True or False: The eagle, wolf, and raven, the "beasts of battle," are a recurring motif in Old English poetry.
True.
True or False: The first legal textbook was composed in Henry II's reign.
True.
True or False: The journey to the Green World (with the Green Chapel) is important, because it is so different from the natural world. Much like the mystical events in the quest for the Holy Grail. The enchanted part of the world begins when one steps into the wilderness. Think back upon "The Seafarer."
True.
True or False: The status of English varied considerably from one century to another, but it was never at any time the dominant global force it is today.
True.
True or False: The status of women was high within Anglo-Saxon nobility prior to the Norman invasion of 1066.
True.
True or False: The strange event presaging Edwin's conversion to Christianity is a dream (with a mysterious man giving him a sign that, when it happens again, he should become a Christian nation -- I believe).
True.
True or False: The vigorous 'Sermo Lupi ad Anglos' by Wulfstan is written in strongly rhythmical prose. In it Wulfstan considers the Viking attacks as divine retribution for the sins of the English; he adopts the historical attitude of the sixth-century British writer Gildas, whose 'De excidio Britonum' similarly lamented the arrival of the English as a retribution upon the British. In doing so Wulfstan places contemporary events into a Biblical historiography which sees the rise and fall of nations as a reflection of their moral status.
True.
True or False: The warrior culture that results from this early feudal arrangement is extremely important, both to the story and to our understanding of Saxon civilization. Strong kings demand bravery and loyalty from their warriors, whom they repay with treasures won in war. Mead-halls such as Heorot in Beowulf were places where warriors would gather in the presence of their lord to drink, boast, tell stories, and receive gifts. Although these mead-halls offered sanctuary, the early Middle Ages were a dangerous time, and the paranoid sense of foreboding and doom that runs throughout Beowulf evidences the constant fear of invasion that plagued Scandinavian society. (from sparknotes.com)
True.
True or False: There is a great deal at stake in the arguments over the poem's origins. 'Beowulf' will be read differently if it is imagined to have been produced in the time of Bede (c. 725) or Alfred (c. 880) or Aelfric (c. 1000). The earlier we think the poem to be, the more potentially authentic its historical material.
True.
True or False: There is a lot of numerology (which had significance) in the Middle Age's literature.
True.
True or False: There is much intertextuality within British Literature.
True.
True or False: There seems to be a parallel structure in the story of 'Sir Gawain.'
True.
True or False: There's a lot of Anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages, as well as conspiracies with money lending.
True.
True or False: Throughout the period, monasteries were the most important outposts of Christian culture in England.
True.
True or False: Together the poems of the Junius Manuscript (which includes 'Exodus') offer a poetic retelling of redemption history from Satan's fall to the Last Judgment.
True.
True or False: Tolkien thinks the main theme of Beowulf is courage.
True.
True or False: Treasure is supposed to be given out, not sit upon (e.g., by a dragon). Selfishness was strongly looked down upon in Anglo-Saxon England.
