[Robert D. Fulk] A History of Old English Literature (Blackwell History of Literature)(pdf){Zzzzz}[BЯ]

This timely introduction to Old English literature focuses on the production and reception of Old English texts, and on their relation to Anglo–Saxon history and culture. Introduces Old English texts and considers their relation to Anglo–Saxon culture. Responds to renewed emphasis on historical and cultural contexts in the field of medieval studies. Treats virtually the entire range of textual types preserved in Old English. Considers the production, reception and uses of Old English texts. Integrates the Anglo–Latin backgrounds crucial to understanding Old English literature. Offers very extensive bibliographical guidance. Demonstrates that Anglo–Saxon studies is uniquely placed to contribute to current literary debates.

Product Description
Review
"Now the oldest English texts have a literary history for the twenty–first century. One of the chief virtues of A History of Old English Literature is the rich elaboration of contexts, extending from the manuscripts to the literary and intellectual world of Anglo–Saxon England, to the early modern criticism, and to the most recent critical reception." Professor Daniel Donoghue, Harvard University

"This volume represents the renewed historicism in Old English studies and admirably supplements previous literary histories [...] Essential for undergraduate and graduate libraries." Choice

"The need for a comprehensive introductory survey of literature in Old English seems obvious, but none has been attempted since Greenfield s and Calder s A New Critical History of Old English Literature (1986). That volume had many imperfections, including a heavy bias towards poetry, and it is good to see that Fulk and Cain acknowledge the importance of prose and tackle it with enthusiasm. There are plenty of things to admire in this book: excellent accounts of such relatively neglected texts as the Old English Pastoral Care and Boethius, for instance, and a rejection of the tired elegy label whose use undermines so much criticism of the shorter poems. this is a lively , accurate and practical introduction to the literature for students, which will provide valuable refresher material (including biographical references) for teachers, too. TOEBI

"It provides an excellent overview of the area It admirably achieves the goals of an history , particularly aimed at the student market, and has much to recommend it."
Literature & History
From the Back Cover
Recent years have witnessed renewed emphasis on historicism in medieval studies. This timely introduction responds to that trend, focusing on the production and reception of Old English texts, and on their relation to Anglo–Saxon history and culture.

The book presents a wider range of material than is usual in English literary histories. It not only covers an intriguing range of genres, from riddles and cryptograms to allegory and romance, but into this coverage it also integrates discussion of Anglo–Latin texts which are crucial to understanding the development of Old English literature. Its extensive bibliographical coverage of scholarship devotes special attention to studies of the past 15 years, while a retrospective section outlines the reception of the Anglo–Saxons and their literature in later periods.

Throughout their narrative, the authors champion Anglo–Saxon studies, contending that it is uniquely placed to contribute to current debates about literature s relation to history and culture.

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell (9 September 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0631223975
ISBN-13: 978-0631223979