Representations of the Natural World in Old English Poetry (Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England, Series Number 27)

This book examines descriptions of the natural world in a wide range of Old English poetry. Jennifer Neville describes the physical conditions experienced by the Anglo-Saxons - the animals, diseases, landscapes, seas and weather with which they had to contend. She argues that poetic descriptions of these elements were not a reflection of the existing physical conditions but a literary device used by Anglo-Saxons to define more important issues: the state of humanity, the creation and maintenance of society, the power of individuals, the relationship between God and creation and the power of writing to control information. Examples of contemporary literature in other languages are used to provide a sense of Old English poetry's particular approach, which incorporated elements from Germanic, Christian and classical sources. The result of this approach was not a consistent cosmological scheme but a rather contradictory vision which reveals much about how the Anglo-Saxons viewed themselves. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 4 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Abbreviations......Page 11 1 Introduction: defining the natural world......Page 13 ACTUAL PHYSICAL CONDITIONS......Page 15 SELECTIVITY......Page 19 REPRESENTATION AND VALUE STRUCTURES......Page 22 MISREPRESENTATION AND MODERN VALUE STRUCTURES......Page 25 TANGLED TRADITIONS......Page 28 2 Defining and confining humanity......Page 31 PLACING HUMANITY......Page 34 THE AMORAL NATURAL WORLD......Page 38 THE NATURAL WORLD IN CONTEMPORARY TEXTS......Page 43 NEGATION AND POWER......Page 48 'DEMONIC' ANTAGONISM......Page 55 EROSION......Page 59 3 Constructing society: outside and inside, powerlessness and control......Page 65 CREATION......Page 69 NEGATIVE LANDSCAPES......Page 71 BUILDING HUMAN SOCIETY......Page 74 THE AGENTS OF DESTRUCTION......Page 82 DEFINITION OF AND BY GRENDEL......Page 86 THE DEFEAT OF SOCIETY......Page 93 EXILE......Page 96 4 Standing outside, standing out: defining the individual......Page 101 ORAL-FORMULAIC CONSIDERATIONS......Page 104 THE VISUAL ARTS AND THE LAW......Page 107 IMPRECISION AND AMBIGUITY......Page 111 THE NIGHTMARE......Page 114 Etymologies and Medical Associations......Page 115 The Evidence of Glossaries......Page 117 Alien Harmers......Page 119 INDIVIDUALS AGAINST THE NATURAL WORLD......Page 122 MEDICINE AND MAGIC......Page 127 HEROIC SAINTS IN THE NATURAL WORLD......Page 134 BEOWULF OUTSIDE......Page 141 THE PLACE OF THE GRENDELKIN......Page 145 A BEACON IN THE DARKNESS......Page 149 5 Representing God: power in and against nature......Page 151 POETIC STRATEGIES......Page 154 A STRUCTURE BUILT ON SAND......Page 156 AMALGAMATING TRADITIONS......Page 160 THE FORGOTTEN UNIVERSE......Page 165 ALFRED'S POWER STRUGGLE......Page 169 ORDER THROUGH POWER......Page 172 GOD'S AWKWARD POSITION......Page 175 A PLACE OF ITS OWN......Page 182 THE SELF-MOVING NATURAL WORLD......Page 183 6 Enclosing the natural world: knowledge and writing......Page 190 SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS AND POETIC TECHNIQUE......Page 191 WISDOM LITERATURE......Page 195 LIMITING THE NATURAL WORLD......Page 202 POWER AND WORDS......Page 208 MANIPULATING REPRESENTATION......Page 211 7 Conclusion......Page 214 Bibliography......Page 219 Index......Page 229

This book examines descriptions of the natural world in a wide range of Old English poetry. Jennifer Neville describes the physical conditions experienced by the Anglo-Saxons and argues that the poetic descriptions were not a reflection of these conditions but a literary device used by Anglo-Saxons to define more important issues, such as the state of humanity, the creation and maintenance of society, the power of individuals, the relationship between God and creation, and the power of writing to control information.

The author argues that Old English poetic descriptions of the natural world were not a reflection of physical conditions but a literary device used to define important issues, such as the state of humanity, the power of individuals and the relationship between God and creation. Representations of the natural world in Old English poetry, like the creatures described in The Panther, are difficult ryhte areccan 'to declare rightly', for their 'method of questioning' is foreign to modern minds. Jennifer Neville. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 207-216) And Index.