This book provides a wide-ranging exploration of the cult in England from c. 700 to the Conquest. Dr Clayton describes and illustrates with a plate section the development of Marian devotion, discussing Anglo-Saxon feasts of the Virgin, liturgical texts, prayers, art, poetry and prose.
Throughout the centuries of its existence, Anglo-Saxon society was highly, if not widely, literate: it was a society the functioning of which depended very largely on the written word. All the essays in this volume throw light on the literacy of Anglo-Saxon England, from the writs which were used as the instruments of government from the eleventh century onwards, to the normative texts which regulated the lives of Benedictine monks and nuns, to the runes stamped on an Anglo-Saxon coin, to the pseudorunes which deliver the coded message of a man to his lover in a well-known Old English poem, to the mysterious writing on an amulet which was apparently worn by a religious for a personal protection from the devil. The usual comprehensive bibliography of the previous year's publications in all branches of Anglo-Saxon studies rounds off the book.
First published in 2001. With the decline of formalism and its predilection for Old English poetry, Old English prose is leaving the periphery and moving into the center of literary and cultural discussion. The extensive corpus of Old English prose lends many texts of various kinds to the current debates over literary theory and its multiple manifestations. The purpose of this collection is to assist the growing interest in Old English prose by providing essays that help establish the foundations for considered study and offer models and examples of special studies. Both retrospective and current in its examples, this collection can serve as a "first book" for an introduction to study, particularly suitable for courses that seek to entertain such issues as authorship, texts and textuality, source criticism, genre, and forms of historical criticism as a significant part of a broad, cultural teaching (and research) plan.
Originally published in 1993, Medieval English Benedictine Liturgy is a detailed study of the liturgical use of medieval monasteries in England, spanning 500 years. The study examines the major votive observances that came to fruition in the twelfth century and later and argues that these important practices affected earlier monastic observances. The book’s emphasis on Anglo-Saxon liturgy provides a bridge between the practices of the English Benedictines before and after the Conquest. The book also traces the chronological progress of three individual observances and extends where possible into the sixteenth century. The book argues that, at a broader level, while liturgy has been recognized as an indispensable part of the study of the context and use of medieval chant and polyphony.
Contributors: Harold Short, Janet Bately, Stewart Brookes, Mary Clayton, Julie Coleman, Patrick W. Conner, Janet M. Cowen, Ivan Herbison, Joyce Hill, Susan Irvine, Peter Jackson, Christian J. Kay, Hugh Magennis, Janet L. Nelson, Eamonn O Carragáin, Lucy Perry, Edward Pettit, Jane Roberts, Gopa Roy, Katharine Scarfe Beckett, Donald Scragg, E.G. Stanley, Louise Sylvester, Paul Szarmach
Essays exploring a wide array of sources that show the importance of Christian ideas and influences in Anglo-Saxon England. A unique and important contribution to both teaching and scholarship. Professor Elaine Treharne, Stanford University. This is a collection of essays exploring a wide array of sources that show the importance ofChristian ideas and influences in Anglo-Saxon England. The range of treatment is exceptionally diverse. Some of the essays develop new approaches to familiar texts, such as Beowulf, The Wanderer and The Seafarer; others deal with less familiar texts and genres to illustrate the role of Christian ideas in a variety of contexts, from preaching to remembrance of the dead, and from the court of King Cnut to the monastic library. Some of the essays are informative, providing essential background material for understanding the nature of the Bible, or the distinction between monastic and cleric in Anglo-Saxon England; others provide concise surveys of material evidence orgenres; others still show how themes can be used in constructing and evaluating courses teaching the tradition. Contributors: GRAHAM CAIE, PAUL CAVILL, CATHERINE CUBITT, JUDITH JESCH, RICHARD MARSDEN, ELISABETH OKASHA, BARBARA C. RAW, PHILIPPA SEMPER, DABNEY BANKERT, SANTHA BHATTACHARJI, HUGH MAGENNIS, MARY SWAN, JONATHAN M. WOODING.
Widely acknowledged as the essential reference work for this period, this volume brings together more than 700 articles written by 150 top scholars that cover the people, places, activities, and creations of the Anglo-Saxons. The only reference work to cover the history, archaeology, arts, architecture, literatures, and languages of England from the Roman withdrawal to the Norman Conquest (c.450 – 1066 AD) Includes over 700 alphabetical entries written by 150 top scholars covering the people, places, activities, and creations of the Anglo-Saxons Updated and expanded with 40 brand-new entries and a new appendix detailing "English Archbishops and Bishops, c.450-1066" Accompanied by maps, line drawings, photos, a table of "English Rulers, c.450-1066," and a headword index to facilitate searching An essential reference tool, both for specialists in the field, and for students looking for a thorough grounding in key topics of the period