Old English Philology: Studies in Honour of R. D. Fulk

Robert D. Fulk is arguably the greatest Old English philologist to emerge during the twentieth century; his corpus of scholarship has fundamentally shaped contemporary understanding of many aspects of Anglo-Saxon literary history and English historical linguistics. This volume, in his honour, brings together essays which engage with his work and advance his research interests. Scholarship on historical metrics and the dating, editing, and interpretation of Old English poetry thus forms the core of this book; other topics addressed include syntax, phonology, etymology, lexicology, and paleography. An introductory overview of Professor Fulk's achievements puts these studies in context, alongside essays which assess his contributions to metrical theory and his profound impact on the study of Beowulf. By consolidating and augmenting Fulk's research, this collection takes readers to the cutting edge of Old English philology. List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgements viii List of Contributors ix Introduction: R. D. Fulk and the Progress of Philology / Leonard Neidorf 1 1. Sievers, Bliss, Fulk, and Old English Metrical Theory / Rafael J. Pascual 17 2. Ictus as Stress or Length: The Effect of Tempo / Thomas Cable 34 3. Metrical Criteria for the Emendation of Old English Poetic Texts / Leonard Neidorf 52 4. The Suppression of the Subjunctive in 'Beowulf': A Metrical Explanation / Jun Terasawa 69 5. Metrical Complexity and Verse Placement in 'Beowulf' / Geoffrey Russom 82 6. Alliterating Finite Verbs and the Origin of Rank in Old English Poetry / Mark Griffith 103 7. Prosody-Meter Correspondences in Late Old English and 'Poema Morale' / Donka Minkova 122 8. The Syntax of Old English Poetry and the Dating of 'Beowulf' / Aaron Ecay and Susan Pintzuk 144 9. The Anglo-Saxons and 'Superbia': Finding a Word for it / George Clark 172 10. Old English 'gelōme', 'gelōma', Modern English 'loom', 'lame', and Their Kin / Anatoly Liberman 190 11. Worm: A Lexical Approach to the 'Beowulf' Manuscript / Haruko Momma 200 12. Wulfstan, Episcopal Authority, and the 'Handbook for the Use of a Confessor' / Stefan Jurasinski 215 13. Some Observations on 'e'-caudata in Old English Texts / Christopher M. Cain 233 14. The Poetics of Poetic Words in Old English / Dennis Cronan 256 15. 'Dream of the Rood 9b': A Cross as an Angel? / Daniel Donoghue 276 16. The Fate of Lot’s Wife: A 'Canterbury School' Gloss in 'Genesis A' / Charles D. Wright 292 17. Metrical Alternation in 'The Fortunes of Men' / Megan E. Hartman 311 18. The Originality of 'Andreas' / Andy Orchard 331 19. The Economy of 'Beowulf' / Rory Naismith 371 20. 'Beowulf' Studies from Tolkien to Fulk / Tom Shippey 392 The Writings of R. D. Fulk 415 Index 424 Tabula Gratulatoria 427 Essays bringing out the crucial importance of philology for understanding Old English texts.Robert D. Fulk is arguably the greatest Old English philologist to emerge during the twentieth century; his corpus of scholarship has fundamentally shaped contemporary understanding of many aspects of Anglo-Saxon literary historyand English historical linguistics. This volume, in his honour, brings together essays which engage with his work and advance his research interests. Scholarship on historical metrics and the dating, editing, and interpretation of Old English poetry thus forms the core of this book; other topics addressed include syntax, phonology, etymology, lexicology, and paleography. An introductory overview of Professor Fulk's achievements puts these studies in context, alongside essays which assess his contributions to metrical theory and his profound impact on the study of Beowulf. By consolidating and augmenting Fulk's research, this collection takes readers to the cutting edgeof Old English philology. LEONARD NEIDORF is Professor of English at Nanjing University; RAFAEL J. PASCUAL is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard University; TOM SHIPPEY is Professor Emeritus at St Louis University. Contributors: Thomas Cable, Christopher M. Cain, George Clark, Dennis Cronan, Daniel Donoghue, Aaron Ecay, Mark Griffith, Megan E. Hartman, Stefan Jurasinski, Anatoly Liberman, Donka Minkova, Haruko Momma, Rory Naismith, Leonard Neidorf, Andy Orchard, Rafael J. Pascual, Susan Pintzuk, Geoffrey Russom, Tom Shippey, Jun Terasawa, Charles D. Wright. Essays bringing out the crucial importance of philology for understanding Old English texts. Robert D. Fulk is arguably the greatest Old English philologist to emerge during the twentieth century; his corpus of scholarship has fundamentally shaped contemporary understanding of many aspects of Anglo-Saxon literary historyand English historical linguistics. This volume, in his honour, brings together essays which engage with his work and advance his research interests. Scholarship on historical metrics and the dating, editing, and interpretation of Old English poetry thus forms the core of this book; other topics addressed include syntax, phonology, etymology, lexicology, and paleography. An introductory overview of Professor Fulk's achievements puts these studies in context, alongside essays which assess his contributions to metrical theory and his profound impact on the study of Beowulf. By consolidating and augmenting Fulk's research, this collection takes readers to the cutting edgeof Old English philology. LEONARD NEIDORF is Professor of English at Nanjing University; RAFAEL J. PASCUAL is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard University; TOM SHIPPEY is Professor Emeritus at St Louis University. Thomas Cable, Christopher M. Cain, George Clark, Dennis Cronan, Daniel Donoghue, Aaron Ecay, Mark Griffith, Megan E. Hartman, Stefan Jurasinski, Anatoly Liberman, Donka Minkova, Haruko Momma, Rory Naismith, Leonard Neidorf, Andy Orchard, Rafael J. Pascual, Susan Pintzuk, Geoffrey Russom, Tom Shippey, Jun Terasawa, Charles D. Wright. Frontcover -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgements -- List of Contributors -- Introduction: R.D. Fulk and the Progress of Philology -- 1 Sievers, Bliss, Fulk, and Old English Metrical Theory -- 2 Ictus as Stress or Length: The Effect of Tempo -- 3 Metrical Criteria for the Emendation of Old English Poetic Texts -- 4 The Suppression of the Subjunctive in Beowulf: A Metrical Explanation -- 5 Metrical Complexity and Verse Placement in Beowulf -- 6 Alliterating Finite Verbs and the Origin of Rank in Old English Poetry