9781107051980 (hardback)

1107051983 (hardback)

"Combining historical, literary and linguistic evidence from Old English and Latin, Becoming a Poet in Anglo-Saxon England creates a new, more complete picture of who and what pre-Conquest English poets really were. It includes a study of Anglo-Saxon words for 'poet' and the first list of named poets in Anglo-Saxon England. Its survey of known poets identifies four social roles that poets often held - teachers, scribes, musicians and courtiers - and explores the kinds of poetry created by these individuals. The book also offers a new model for understanding the role of social groups in poets' experience: it argues that the presence or absence of a poetic community affected the work of Anglo-Saxon poets at all levels, from minute technical detail to the portrayal of character. This focus on poetic communities provides a new way to understand the intersection of history and literature in the Middle Ages"-- Provided by publisher.

"Becoming a Poet in Anglo-Saxon England creates a new, more complete picture of who and what pre-Conquest English poets really were. It includes a study of Anglo-Saxon words for 'poet' and the first list of named poets in Anglo-Saxon England. Its survey of known poets identifies four social roles that poets often held "-- Provided by publisher.

Cambridge studies in medieval literature ; 88

Introduction: how can we know about Anglo-Saxon poets?

1. What was a poet?

2. Who became poets?

3. The poet in the community

4. The poet alone

5. Spectral communities

Afterword: a way of happening

Appendix I. A handlist of named authors of Old English or Latin verse in Anglo-Saxon England

Appendix II. Skalds working in Anglo-Saxon England.

English poetry > Old English, ca. 450-1100 > History and criticism.

Literature and society > England > History > To 1500.