Eald æfensceop: Poetic composition and the authority of the aged in Old English verse
The ability to compose and perform poetry or song is repeatedly linked with a state of old age in the Old English poetic corpus. This paper will highlight in turn the presentation of elderly, lyrically gifted individuals in Beowulf, Cynewulf’s epilogue to Elene and Riddle 8 of the Exeter Book. All a...
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| Formaat: | Journal article |
| Taal: | English |
| Gepubliceerd in: |
Cambridge Colloquium in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic
2016
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| _version_ | 1826270489443565568 |
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| author | Soper, H |
| author_facet | Soper, H |
| author_sort | Soper, H |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | The ability to compose and perform poetry or song is repeatedly linked with a state of old age in the Old English poetic corpus. This paper will highlight in turn the presentation of elderly, lyrically gifted individuals in Beowulf, Cynewulf’s epilogue to Elene and Riddle 8 of the Exeter Book. All assert a relationship between ideas of advanced age and poetic compositional ability, one which relies upon complex ideas of wisdom and sagacity, accumulation of knowledge and access to memory of various past experiences. This aspect of the poet’s identity in Old English literature has not yet been fully investigated by scholars. Equally, studies of ideas of old age in the poetry have not focused on poetic aptitude. The implications of such a connection nonetheless resonate widely across the body of vernacular verse surviving from Anglo-Saxon England. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T21:41:37Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:482047cf-6f45-4ff4-aeb1-e852f38c9065 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T21:41:37Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Cambridge Colloquium in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:482047cf-6f45-4ff4-aeb1-e852f38c90652022-03-26T15:23:49ZEald æfensceop: Poetic composition and the authority of the aged in Old English verseJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:482047cf-6f45-4ff4-aeb1-e852f38c9065EnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordCambridge Colloquium in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic2016Soper, HThe ability to compose and perform poetry or song is repeatedly linked with a state of old age in the Old English poetic corpus. This paper will highlight in turn the presentation of elderly, lyrically gifted individuals in Beowulf, Cynewulf’s epilogue to Elene and Riddle 8 of the Exeter Book. All assert a relationship between ideas of advanced age and poetic compositional ability, one which relies upon complex ideas of wisdom and sagacity, accumulation of knowledge and access to memory of various past experiences. This aspect of the poet’s identity in Old English literature has not yet been fully investigated by scholars. Equally, studies of ideas of old age in the poetry have not focused on poetic aptitude. The implications of such a connection nonetheless resonate widely across the body of vernacular verse surviving from Anglo-Saxon England. |
| spellingShingle | Soper, H Eald æfensceop: Poetic composition and the authority of the aged in Old English verse |
| title | Eald æfensceop: Poetic composition and the authority of the aged in Old English verse |
| title_full | Eald æfensceop: Poetic composition and the authority of the aged in Old English verse |
| title_fullStr | Eald æfensceop: Poetic composition and the authority of the aged in Old English verse |
| title_full_unstemmed | Eald æfensceop: Poetic composition and the authority of the aged in Old English verse |
| title_short | Eald æfensceop: Poetic composition and the authority of the aged in Old English verse |
| title_sort | eald aefensceop poetic composition and the authority of the aged in old english verse |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT soperh ealdæfensceoppoeticcompositionandtheauthorityoftheagedinoldenglishverse |