Thought and Action in Old English Poetry and Prose
eBook - ePub

Thought and Action in Old English Poetry and Prose

  1. 216 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Thought and Action in Old English Poetry and Prose

About this book

Cognitive approaches to early medieval texts have tended to focus on the mind in isolation. By examining the interplay between mental and physical acts deployed in Old English poetry and prose, this study identifies new patterns and offers new perspectives. In these texts, the performance of right or wrong action is not linked to natural inclination dictated by birth; it is the fruit of right or wrong thinking. The mind consciously directed and controlled is open to external influences, both human and diabolical. This struggle to produce right thought and action reflects an emerging democratization of heroism that crosses societal and gender boundaries, becoming intertwined with socio-political, soteriological, and cultural meaning. In a study of influential prose texts, including the Alfredian translations and the sermons of Ælfric, alongside close readings of three poems from different genres – The Seafarer, The Battle of Maldon, and Juliana –, Ponirakis demonstrates how early medieval authors create patterns of interaction between the mental and the physical. These provide hidden keys to meaning which, once found, unlock new readings of much studied texts. In addition, these patterns of balance, distribution, and opposition, reveal a startling similarity of approach across genre and form, taking the discussion of the early medieval conception of the mind, soul, and emotion, not to mention conventional generic divisions, onto new ground.

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Yes, you can access Thought and Action in Old English Poetry and Prose by Eleni Ponirakis in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Literary Criticism. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher
Medieval Institute Publications
Year
2023
eBook ISBN
9781501514456
Edition
1
Topic
History
Subtopic
Literary Criticism
Index
History

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright
  3. Contents
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. Note on Editions
  6. Abbreviations
  7. Introduction
  8. Chapter 1 Mental and Physical Acts in Old English Prose: the Alfredian Translations, the Sermons of Ælfric, and the Old English Benedictine Rule
  9. Chapter 2 Body and Soul: Thought and Action in The Seafarer
  10. Chapter 3 A New Kind of Hero? Thought and Action in The Battle of Maldon
  11. Chapter 4 A State of Mind: Byrhtnoð and Maldon in the Context of Æðelred’s Eard
  12. Chapter 5 The Devil’s Lar: Mental Manipulation in Juliana
  13. Conclusion
  14. Index