The details of the life of Anglo-Saxon poet Cynewulf (flourished 8th or 9th century) are shrouded in mystery. What is known is that he was one of the earliest religious poets and wrote beautiful verse...
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Old English poems are the written versions of oral and oral-derived works, and like all compositions of tradition-dependent societies, they are primarily anonymous. Because of the influence of the Chr...
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In the following essay, Brooke discusses the five poems which were not signed by Cynewulf but have been attributed to him by various critics, with an emphasis on spiritual elements.
The most important...
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In the essay that follows, Kennedy reviews what is known about Cynewulfs identity and the four poems signed with his name and suggests that the scholastic religious tradition which directs the primary...
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In the excerpt that follows, Cook provides an account of the context of Cynewulf's poetry, including the political history and theology of ninth-century Britain. He also examines the poetic sty...
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In Greenfield claims that the following essay, Cynewulf's "reflective" tone distinguishes him from other Anglo-Saxon poets of the time, such as the author of the Andreas, which de...
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In the essay that follows, Wilson studies the Christ in detail and claims, in contrast to the conclusion reached by some critical scholarship, that the poem is arguably the work of a single author.
Si...
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In the following essay, Wittig claims that the critical "dissatisfaction" with Cynewulf's Juliana neglects the poem's successful representation of the significance of the s...
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In the following essay, Rice defends the importance of the creative expression in Cynewulf's Fates of the Apostles, particularly in the depiction of spiritual atonement.
In the past few years a...
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In the excerpt that follows, Anderson suggests that Cynewulf considered his creative talents as an instance of the "gifts of men," a theological concept that emphasizes the obligation to...
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Cynewulf
Cynewulf
