Hwæt!

Introduction to Old English Literature

ENGL 400
TR 11:00-12:15 in GRIS 126

Instructor: Aidan Holtan Office: HEAV 207A
Email: gaunta@purdue.edu Office Hours: Wednesday 1:00-2:00
or by appointment

Ārās ða bī ronde rōf ōretta,
heard under helme, hioro-sercean bær
under stān-cleofu, strengo getruwode
ānes mannes; ne bið swylc earges sīð! (Beowulf, ll. 2538- 2541)

[Then he drew himself up beside his shield.
The fabled warrior in his warshirt and helmet
trusted in his own strength entirely
and went under the crag. No coward path.]1

When we think of Old English literature today, the image of Beowulf often
comes to mind—brave warrior, arguably terrible king, the slayer of monsters who is
slain, in turn, by his final foe. It is hard to imagine, then, what modern perceptions of
Old English literature would be if the Nowell Codex (often referred to as the Beowulf
manuscript) had fully perished in the fires of the Ashburnham House in 1731.2
Would movies portray the homesick longing of the Wanderer? The miraculous
composition of Caedmon’s Hymn?
In order to understand the full extent of Old English literature and the role of
Beowulf within that corpus, students will begin the semester by reading widely
across all genres of Old English texts. As we do so, we will discuss the social, political
and cultural moments that shaped literature from the seventh century through the
Norman Conquest of 1066. Then, in the second half of the semester, we will
transition to an extended examination of Beowulf. This begins with a close reading
of the Beowulf text, during which students will be encouraged to question how this
text builds on and/or deviates from the major themes identified at the beginning of
the semester.
The end of the course will continue to encourage students to move away
from the process of reading Old English texts in a vacuum by discussing texts as
components of a larger manuscript. In particular, the class will read and discuss the
Nowell Codex, whose variety of texts serves as an excellent foundation for
identifying the decision-making process of composing a manuscript. This process

1 Translation from Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. See your

required texts below.

2 For more information on the Nowell Codex, see: https://www.bl.uk/collection-

items/beowulf

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will then be put into practice by the final project, wherein students will be in charge
of creating a manuscript of their own.
Therefore, students who complete this class will have a thorough
introduction to the major poetic and prose texts that comprise the Old English
corpus. Students will not only understand that Old English texts are a production of
their historical and cultural contexts, but also that they are part of a larger,
intentionally produced text.

Required Texts:
Kevin Crossley-Holland. The Anglo-Saxon World: An Anthology (ISBN: 978-
0199538713)
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation, Norton Critical Edition. Seamus Heaney, trans.,
and Daniel Donoghue, ed. (ISBN: 978-0393975802)
R.D. Fulk, ed. and trans. The Beowulf Manuscript: Complete Texts and the Fight at
Finnsburg. (ISBN: 978-0674052956)

Recommended Texts:
Hugh Magennis, ed. The Cambridge Introduction to Anglo-Saxon Literature (ISBN:
978-0521519472)
James Campbell, ed. The Anglo-Saxons (ISBN: 978-0140143959)

Grading:
Close Reading: 20%
Reading Journal: 10%
Beowulf Essay: 35%
Personal Manuscript: 35%

Assignments:

Reading Journal:
You will maintain a reading journal throughout the semester in which you will
record your responses to the Old English texts. Ultimately, the topic of the
responses is up to you: what questions do these readings raise? Where do you see
overlap or connection between the readings? Or between the readings and modern
literature? Your response should meet a minimum of one paragraph (~150 words),
and I will check your journals periodically throughout the semester (dates to be
announced in class).

Essays:
You will compose two essays during the semester. The first is a 2-3 page close
reading due at the end of Week 6. For the second essay, you will write a 5-7 page
analysis of Beowulf in which you will examine the themes of the class as they appear
in the poem. This is due at the end of Week 13. Please refer to Blackboard for the
assignment sheets and rubrics for both essay projects.

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Personal Manuscript:
The final project of this class is both a reflection upon the work you have done this
semester and an opportunity to experience the manuscript-making process. For this
assignment, you will identify five texts that you would include in a personal
manuscript, and explain your choices in a 3-5 page reflection. This reflection should
address the themes of the text, how these texts build upon/respond to each other,
and how you, as a reader, responded to these texts. Your list and reflection are to be
submitted as a single document no later than Thursday of Week 15.


Schedule
This schedule is subject to change. If a change is made to the policies or syllabus, you
will be notified on the course website and by email. All readings listed are due that
day in class. Please come prepared to discuss.

Week 1
T Introduction to the course | Old English poetic form
Read: Caedmon’s Hymn (distributed in class)
R Who are the Anglo-Saxons? Historical overview
Read: Magennis Ch. 1 “Approaching Anglo-Saxon Literature” (BB)

Week 2: Battle-poetry
T Battle of Maldon (pp. 11-13)
R Battle of Maldon (pp.14-end)

Week 3: Perceptions of History
T Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and Battle of Brunanburh
R Bede: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People excerpts (BB)

Week 4: Travel
T The Seafarer and The Wanderer
R Ohthere’s Voyage

Week 5: Religion
T The Dream of the Rood
R The Panther and The Whale

Week 6: Gender
T Judith
R Judith
Due: Close reading

Week 7
T Wife’s Lament and Wulf and Eadwacer
R Introduction to Beowulf and discussion of the Beowulf essay

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Week 8: Beowulf
T Beowulf ll. 1-188 and Roberta Frank’s “The Beowulf Poet’s Sense of History”
(pp. 167-181)
R Beowulf ll. 189-1250 and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Beowulf: The Monsters and the
Critics” (pp. 103-130)

Week 9: Beowulf
T Beowulf ll. 1251-2199 and Jane Chance’s “The Structural Unity of Beowulf:
The Problem of Grendel’s Mother” (pp. 152-167)
R Beowulf ll. 2200-end

Week 10: Daily Life
T “Thirty-One Riddles”
R “Charms and Remedies”

Week 11: Nowell Codex
T Introduction to the Nowell Codex
Read: Magennis, “Postscript: Genre and Manuscripts” (BB), and the
Introduction to Fulk’s The Beowulf Manuscript
R The Wonders of the East

Week 12: Nowell Codex
T The Life of Saint Christopher
R The Letter of Alexander to Aristotle

Week 13
T Introduction to the manuscript-creation process
R Group manuscript production
Due: Beowulf essay

Week 14
T Group manuscript production
R Class: show results

Week 15
R Due: Personal Manuscript and Reflection