Arghya Jana Literature Guide

You will get enough information concerning English and American and Indo-Anglican Literature

Monday, 5 September 2011

ANGLO-SAXON PROSE:
ANGLO-SAXON PROSE:
* Until the 9th century literary prose did not develop in England. Before this Anglo-Saxon prose started in the form of
some laws, moral codes and the historical records. Basically with Alfred the great Anglo-Saxon prose makes the true
beginning. The three great prose writers of this period are King Alfred, Aelfric and Wulfstan.
1) KING ALFRED:
* He is known as the father of English Prose.
* He became the king of Wessex in 871 A.D. The successive raids of the Danes made the English miserable. The Danes
burnt the books, destroyed the monasteries and ever destroyed the mental peace.
* As peace came to national life he started to repair the miserable condition of the learning. He at first learnt Latin and
set himself translating the famous Latin works. He formed his prose on Latin, making his English follow Latin
construction.
* He translated the five great works.
(a) Gregorys- Pastoral Care [It is a religions work which discusses the essentials of Christianity. It is to be noted that
in the preface of it Alfred said why he had taken the task of translation.]
(b) Bedes- Ecclesiastical History of the England [It is about the religious development in England. Here Alfred
wished his people, not just clergy but the laity, to know the history of their country.]
(c) Orosiuss- History of the World
[It is a study of the world from various aspects. His accounts of geography, the language and places of Germany make
the reading interesting. Alfreds desire was to see people acquainted not only with the countrys history but also that of
the world beyond.]
(d) Boethiuss- De Consolatione Philosophiac
[It is a fine study of the sorrows and suffering of human life and the way of their consolation. It is written in the
from of dialogue between Boethius and Philosophy. Boethius also has written it in prison in order to console his sole in
the dire hour of dejection and isolation. Here we find Alfreds deep faith in Christianity finding reflection in his
translation.]
(e) St. Augustines- Soliloquia [It is a highly philosophic work. Its preface overflows with emotions at the prospect of
his departure from this world. Here he recalls all his good work done as a writer and educator and exhorts his fellow
being to carry on the work he had begun.
Apart from his translations Alfred wrote
Handbook: Alfred wrote it at the age of 35. It contains quotations which the young king culled from different

sources. The book was written in 888A.D. and written in English.

* Lawbook: Alfred wrote Lawbook which contained extracts from diverse codes from Wessex, Kent and Mercia.
2) AELFRIC
* Aelfric was a scholar of the monastic school founded by Aethelwold at Abingdon. He then became an abbot of
Eynsham in 1005. Of his writings Colloquium and catholic Homilies deserve particular mention. These works
basically have given him the position of a prose writer.
Colloquium:
It is meant for teaching Latin by means of conversation. There is a teacher in one side and on the other side there
are a number of persons coming from the different fields and a novice. Through their interesting conversation the way
of learning slowly comes out.
Catholic Homilies:
Aelfric wrote sermons in vernacular. The first two series of these sermons are known as Catholic Homilies
and the third are known as Lives of the Saints. Catholic Homilies comprises two series of forty (40) sermons suitable
for delivery by the clergy.
* The first seven books of the Old Testament are supposed to be translated by Aelfric and that is why he can be called
as the first English Bible translator.
* Aelfrics prose has a rhythmic charm and shares the element of poetry. He writes in a conversational style full of
impulse and sonority.
* To W.P.Ker- Aelfric in the great master of prose in all its forms.
3) Wulfstan:
* He was the Archbishop of York from 1002 to 1023. He had witnessed the Danish invasion which perhaps has stirred
the patriotic zeal in him. His homilies are extant, but his fame mainly rests on a single homily- Sermo Lupi ad Anglos.
Sermo Lupi ad Anglos :
* In his homily Wulfstan predicts that the world is drawing nigh to the end and he is driven to this fateful conclusion by
the evils of the time.
* His prose is simple and straight forward taking to the point. His style is fertile in concrete illustrations and lucidity. His
style

is

more

akin

to

the

rhetorician

than

that

of

the

philosopher.
ANGLO SAXON CHRONCLE

It can be treated as the vernacular history of the Anglo-Saxons from the 8th century to the middle of the 12th
century.
It is originally a record of some important annals as well as the births and death of the West-Saxon kingdom.

Under the patronage of King Alfred it becomes a full fledged history beginning with Julius Ceasers conquest in
England. It his Alfred who gave the loose events and episodes of the chronicle a proper from and regular shape. Alfred
is supposed to have written some portions of the chronicle.
As it is not the work of a single hand it can not be a consistent work. The growth of the chronicle comes to the
summit during the 10th century.