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Heroes and Exiles: English Poetry of the Age of Beowulf

Module description

Beowulf is one of the great works of early European literature, and one of the best long poems in English of any period. In elegaic mood, a sophisticated Christian poet looks back on an age of heroes, whose pagan religion he has to reject, but whose great-hearted nobility he cannot help but admire. Beowulf is part of a rich body of poetry that has come down to us from the Anglo-Saxon period, and that evokes a world of battle-hardened warriors; retainers faithful to their lords unto death; exiles cut off from kin-group, overlords or husbands, and occasionally allows us glimpses into a more intimate, domestic world. The forms and characteristic themes of a poetry that is pagan in origin also find themselves adapted for use in the service of an advanced Christian culture.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module offers an introduction to Anglo-Saxon poetry, with an emphasis on heroic tropes and traditions, and with Beowulf as a regular reference-point. No prior experience of medieval literature is required, and texts will be studied in translation, but you will deepen your appreciation of the literature by learning the basics of the Old English language.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. identify the principal themes and tropes of Old English heroic literature, and relate them to other cultural forms of the period
• 2. demonstrate an informed appreciation of specific texts from the Anglo-Saxon period
• 3. demonstrate a capacity to make detailed connections among a range of Old English poems, and to relate them to their cultural context
• 4. show an appreciation of the potential of the Old English language for literary expression

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. demonstrate an advanced ability to analyse the literature of an earlier era and to relate its concerns and its modes of expression to its historical and cultural context.
• 6. demonstrate an advanced ability to interrelate texts and discourses specific to their own discipline with issues in the wider context of cultural and intellectual history

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. through seminar work demonstrate advanced communication skills, and an ability to work both individually and in groups
• 8. through essay writing, demonstrate appropriate research and bibliographic skills, an advanced capacity to construct a coherent, substantiated argument, and a capacity to write clear and correct prose
• 9. through research for seminars and assessed work, demonstrate advanced proficiency in information retrieval and analysis

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics: heroic poetry, bloodfeud, heroic values in a Christian world, women heroes, exiles pagan and Christian, riddles, Beowulf.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certified reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of a deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e.: a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Core:

• Kevin Crossley-Holland, The Anglo-Saxon World: an anthology (Oxford World's Classics, 2009)
• Seamus Heaney/Daniel Donoghue, Beowulf: A verse translation (Norton, 2019)

Secondary:

• Peter S. Baker, Introduction to Old English (Blackwell, 2012)
• Joe Allard, Beowulf & Other Stories (Pearson, 2014)

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• The British Library’s Beowulf page https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/beowulf
• Cambridge Companion to Old English Literature (Cambridge Core)
  https://doi.org/10.1017/CCOL0521374383
• Peter Baker’s Old English Aerobics http://www.oldenglishaerobics.net/

Key words search

Anglo-Saxon, Beowulf, Heroes, Exiles