English 360, Summer 2010J. Niles

MTWTh 1:10 – 3:40 pmIngraham 224

THE ANGLO-SAXONS

= History 360, Medieval Studies 360, Religious Studies 360

Class numbers 17241, 17538, 17537,17539, respectively;3 credits

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This is a course in the literature and cultural history of England from c. 450 to c. 1100 ad, the period when the island of Britain was first settled by English-speaking immigrants who established their own kingdoms there and, later, their own nation.

Readings, which will be in translation, will include the whole of Beowulf, substantial selections from Bede’s Ecclesiastical History and The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Asser’s Life of King Alfred, some lyric, elegiac, and heroic poems, and a variety of other texts including laws, charters, wills, charms, riddles, and the like. As time permits, guidance will be given in basic features of the Old English language, and attention will be paid to the archaeological record, the visual arts, and material culture. Special topics include the heritage of pagan beliefs and practices, the development of monasticism, the production of manuscripts, and the influence of Roman and Irish Christianity on the formation of Anglo-Saxon thought.

The course is cross-listed between English, History, Medieval Studies, and Religious Studies, and an effort will be made to accommodate the differing perspectives of students specializing in those different but interconnected fields.Honors credit is available through individual arrangement with the instructor.

REQUIREMENTS

Regular attendance, preparation, and participation in class; a midterm exam, a final exam; one 2-page assignment relating to translation; and a personal journal.

The midterm will count for 25% of the final grade in the course and the final exam for 50%. The remaining 25% of the final grade will be determined by evidence of genuine engagement in the process of learning, as shown by attendance and participation in class, performance on spot quizzes, satisfactory completion of the translation assignment, and completion of a satisfactory journal (one in which you write down questions and comments about the readings, as they occur to you).

INSTRUCTOR’S OFFICE HOURS AND CONTACT NUMBERS

W 4–5 pm and by appointment, 6131 White Hall. (608) 265-9836.

TEXTS

The following five texts are required:

Bede. Ecclesiastical History of the English People, trans. L. Sherley-Price. Penguin.

Campbell, James. The Anglo-Saxons. Penguin. (= Campbell)

Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Anglo-Saxon World. Oxford. (= C-H)

Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: An Illustrated Edition, ed. J. Niles. Norton.

Keynes, Simon, and Michael Lapidge. Alfred the Great. Penguin. (= K&L)

In addition, certain required readings will be included in a small Course Reader( = CR), to be made available at Bob’s Copy Shop, 1401 University Avenue. Other readings will be posted as Electronic Reserves (= ER), accessible via the Library’s MADCAT catalogue. (Go to and select “Reserves and Course Materials,” or log into and select your “Academic” tab.)

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (subject to change):

Note: an electronic version of this schedule will be made available on my personal web site, in the Courses section, under “English 360 syllabus.” This will contain electronic links to some of the original Old English texts that you will be reading in translation, and some audio selections that illustrate how certain texts should be pronounced, according to the experts. For access, go to and choose the syllabus for this class.

Week 1

M Jul 26Introduction to the course and to Bede’s Ecclesiastical History.Bede’s account of Britain, of the Roman conquest, of St Alban, and of himself. End of bk V (pp. 329–31); bk I, esp. chs. 1, 6–8. Also C-H, “The Whale”(pp. 287–89).

T Jul 27Bede’s account of the English conquest and the Conversion. Bk I, esp. chs. 10, 12, 14–16, 22–26, 30; bk II, ch. 1, chs. 9, 12–13. Campbell: chs. 1 and 3 (skim).

W Jul 28Versions of the holy life: St Oswald, St Aidan, St Cuthbert. Bede, bk III, esp chs. 2–6, 9–10, 15–17, 25–26; bk IV, esp. chs. 27–32. CR: annal E for 565.Campbell: ch. 4 (skim). “The Golden Age of Northumbrian manuscript illustration”(slide presentation).

Th Jul 29Visions and marvels; the pagan heritage. Cædmon’s inspiration (bk IV, ch. 24); Fursey’s vision (bk III, ch. 19); the nuns of Barking (bk IV, chs. 7–9); the vision of Drythelm (bk V, ch. 12). C-H, “Deor” (pp. 7–8), “Cædmon’s Hymn” (p. 197). CR: “The Lay of Volund”. Campbell: ch. 2 (skim). ER: Niles, “Pagan Survivals and Popular Belief.” “Anglo-Saxon paganism: Sutton Hoo” (slide presentation). For a reading of “Cædmon’s Hymn” in Old English, click here and proceed to that item.

Week 2

M Aug 2King Alfred the Great, warrior-king and philosopher-king. K&L, pp. 44–48, 66–110, 113–20, 124–27, 163–70, 171–72. CR: annals for the years 793, 835–900. Campbell: chs. 5, 6 (skim).

● Optional session for reading Old English out loud, Ratskeller (or Terrace), 4:10–5 pm.

T Aug 3Viking troubles; Ælfric. C-H, “The Battle of Brunanburh,” pp. 19–21; “The Battle of Maldon,” pp. 11–19. CR: annals for the years 937, 991–1017. C-H: Ælfric, “A Colloquy” and “The Passion of St. Edmund” (pp. 19–21 and 220–33, respectively). Campbell: chs. 6, 7, 8 (skim).

W Aug 4The demise of Anglo-Saxon England. C-H:Wulfstan, “The Sermon of Wolf to the English”(pp. 291–99). CR:annals for 1066, 1083–1087, 1137. Campbell: ch. 9 (skim). “The Bayeux Tapestry” (slide presentation).

Th Aug 5REVIEW; MIDTERM EXAM.

Week 3

M Aug 9Beowulf: the hero sets out. Lines 1–1019. Heaney’s introduction, pp. xxi–xxiv, on the language and versification of Beowulf: ER: Niles, “Beowulf, Truth, and Meaning.”

● Optional session for reading Old English out loud, Ratskeller (or Terrace), 4:10–5 pm. For audio clips from Beowulf read in Old English, click here.

T Aug 10Beowulf: the fight at the mere. Lines 1020–2199.C-H, “The Finnesburh Fragment,” pp. 8–9. ER: Tolkien, “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.”

W Aug 11Beowulf: the dragon fight. Lines 2200–3182.“Visualizing Beowulf through archaeology” (slide presentation).Ancillary readings:the whole of Heaney’s introduction (pp. ix–xxx). Recommended: ER: Niles, “Rewriting Beowulf,” “Reconceiving Beowulf.”

Th Aug 12Exeter Book elegies. C-H, “The Ruin,” “The Wanderer,” “The Seafarer” (pp. 59–60 and 50–56); “Wulf and Eadwacer,” “The Wife’s Lament,” “The Husband’s Message” (pp. 56–59).ER: Whitelock, “The Interpretation of ‘The Seafarer’.”

Week 4

M Aug 16Visionary literature, riddles, wisdom poetry, runes. C-H, “The Dream of the Rood” (pp. 200–04), “Thirty-One Riddles”(pp. 235–50), “The Fortunes of Men” (pp. 304–06), “Maxims I & II.” CR: Images of the Ruthwell Cross, “An Easter Day sermon: Blickling Homily 7,”the Old Norse “Sayings of the High One,” “The Rune Poem,”“Maxims II.” Bede, bk. IV, ch. 22 (the story of Imma). Recommended: ER: Irving, “Crucifixion Witnessed”;Page, “How to Use Runes.” HAND IN JOURNALS; HAND IN TRANSLATION ASSIGNMENT.

● Optional session for reading Old English out loud, Ratskeller (or Terrace), 4:10–5 pm.

T Aug 17Social history: laws, charters, wills, and medical texts. Extracts from the laws of King Alfred (K&L, pp. 163–70). C-H, “Laws”( pp. 24–31); “Charters, Tracts and Wills” (pp. 252–66); “Charms and Remedies” (pp. 268–77). CR: “Exchange of Lands.”Recommended: ER: Niles, “The Æcerbot Ritual in Context.”

W Aug 18OPEN DATE; REVIEW. Campbell, “Epilogue” (skim).

Th Aug 19FINAL EXAM.