Highlights of old English literature

Old English literature, which spans the 7th century to the decades after the Norman Conquest of 1066, includes genres such as epic poetry, hagiography (saints' lives), sermons, and legal works. Most authors were anonymous, but some key figures are known for their contributions to poetry and prose. 

Key Authors and Major Works

Date (approx.) 

Author

Major Works

c. 7th century

Cædmon

Cædmon's Hymn (oldest surviving poem in English)

c. 700–750

Anonymous

Beowulf (the most famous work of Old English literature and the longest Old English poem; a heroic epic)

c. 8th century

Cynewulf

The Fates of the Apostles, Elene, Christ II, Juliana (four signed poems in the Vercelli and Exeter books)

c. 871–899 (reign)

King Alfred the Great

Translated many Latin works into Old English, including Bede's Ecclesiastical History and Boethius' De Consolatione philosophiae (Froforboc), and initiated the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Late 10th/Early 11th century

Ælfric of Eynsham

Prolific writer of sermons, saints' lives (Catholic Homilies), and an Old English translation of the first six books of the Bible (Old English Hexateuch)

Early 11th century

Wulfstan II

Sermo Lupi ad Anglos (Sermon of the Wolf to the English, blaming the sins of the English for the Viking invasions), and various legal texts

Anonymous (various dates)

Anonymous

The Wanderer, The Seafarer, The Dream of the Rood, The Battle of Maldon (major elegies and heroic poems)

Key Characteristics

  • Oral Tradition and Alliterative Verse: Much Old English poetry originated in an oral tradition and uses alliterative verse, a style that relies on the repetition of initial consonant sounds rather than rhyme.
  • Kennings: A common feature in poetry, kennings are metaphorical compound phrases used in place of a common noun (e.g., calling the sea the "whale-road").
    •
  • Transition from Pagan to Christian Themes: Early works often combined Germanic heroic traditions with Christian themes and morality, reflecting the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons.
    •
  • Manuscript Preservation: The majority of Old English poetry is preserved in just four major manuscripts: the Exeter Book, the Junius Manuscript, the Vercelli Book, and the Beowulf manuscript (Nowell Codex). 

 

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