Anglo-Saxon Elegies, Lyrics, and Epics

Anglo-Saxon Elegies

ELEGY a poem mourning the loss of

someone or something such as the passing of life, a way of life, beauty, or anything of intrinsic

or spiritual value

Anglo-Saxon Lyrics

LYRIC POETRY

Brief, melodic poems that focus on expressing personal emotions or

thoughts, rather than telling a story.

Anglo-Saxon Lyrics

In ancient Greece, lyrics were recited or sung to the accompaniment of a lyre, thus the name lyric.

Anglo-Saxon Lyrics

Anglo-Saxon lyrics usually have some or all of the following elements:

Regular beat, usually four stressed or accented syllables or beats per line, often called “Anglo-Saxon meter.”

Anglo-Saxon Lyrics

Caesura: pause within a line of poetry, sometimes indicated by a punctuation mark like a period or a semi-colon

Anglo-Saxon Lyrics

Kenning: a specialized metaphormade of compound words or a phrase used to name a person, place, thing, or event indirectly.

Example: “whale road” for sea.

Refer to class handout on kennings.

Anglo-Saxon Lyrics, Epics

Assonance: repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds in words that are close together

Anglo-Saxon Lyrics

* Alliteration: repeated sounds at the beginnings of words in close proximity (within two or three lines of each other).

Anglo-Saxon Lyrics

* Hyperbole: exaggeration used for effect

Anglo-Saxon Lyrics

* Litotes (lie-toe-tees): a special form of understatement negating the opposite (saying the opposite is not true.)

Example: Summer in Central Texas is not exactly cool.

Anglo-Saxon Epics

Epic: a long narrative poem that recounts the great deeds of a legendary hero who embodies the values of a particular society and is in pursuit of a goal of national importance.

Anglo-Saxon Epics

Folk Epics versus Literary Epics

Folk epics: stories about heroes recited or sung as entertainment and passed from generation to generation by oral tradition. Eventually, folk epics were written down some time after they were composed.

Anglo-Saxon Epics

Folk Epics versus Literary Epics

Literary epics: have the same style and conventions of a folk epic but are written by an individual author

Anglo-Saxon Epics

EPIC CONVENTIONS* Invocation of a muse* Plot begins in medias res* Serious in tone* Lofty and dignified style

Key elements of an epic include:EPIC HERO:

the central character or protagonist of the epic;

will be larger-than-life in a super hero way or

of noble or semi-divine birth.

Anglo-Saxon EpicsQUEST:

the epic hero goes on a long, dangerous mission thereby

proving his heroism and winning honor, respect, glory, and

renown.

Anglo-Saxon Epics

VALOROUS DEEDS: His actions demonstrate his courage,

strength, and/or virtue.

Anglo-Saxon Epics

DIVINE INTERVENTION: often receives help from a god, or another supernatural force,

who takes an interest in his quest or hero must journey to

and return from the “Underworld.”

Anglo-Saxon Epics

MONSTERS: the epic hero defeats monsters

that represent the dark, destructive forces or powers that are in opposition to the

“good.”

Anglo-Saxon Elegies, Lyrics, and Epics

As with previous notes, these will be supplemented and expanded as the semester progresses.

Be sure you keep these notes in the literature section of your notebook.

Anglo-Saxon Elegies