Anglo-Saxon Period in English Literature: Quiz and Flashcards

Study Notes

The Anglo-Saxon or Old English Period (450-1066 AD)

The period started after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the early 5th Century, and three Germanic tribes—the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes—migrated to Britain.
The Anglo-Saxons occupied the major part of the country by 670 A.D. and the land of Anglos or Angloland—present day England—became their permanent abode.
The language brought by the Anglo-Saxon settlers, combined with Latin and Celtic words, became Old English.
Anglo-Saxon literature was the earliest phase of English literature, and consisted of literature written in Old English in Anglo-Saxon England from the 5th Century AD to the Norman Conquest of 1066.

Anglo-Saxon Poetry

The Anglo-Saxons were fond of singing about battles, gods, and their ancestral heroes, which marked the beginning of English poetry in ancient England.
The Anglo-Saxon poetry was mostly sung instead of written, which is why there are very few remnants left of it.
Among the few remaining poems, Beowulf is the most famous, and is the first English epic poem, narrating the tale of the adventures of Beowulf, a brave hero.
Key characteristics of Anglo-Saxon poetry include heroic poetry elements, Christian ideals, synecdoche, metonymy, and irony.

Anglo-Saxon Prose

The Anglo-Saxons replaced Latin prose with English, which observed all the rules of ordinary speech in its construction.
King Alfred the Great translated most of the famous Latin Chronicles into English.
Aelfric, a priest, was the second famous prose writer of the Anglo-Saxon period, and his prose was easy and alliterative.

The Decline of Anglo-Saxons

The Anglo-Saxon period flourished until the Norman Conquest of 1066.
After the defeat of Harold, the last of Saxon kings, by William the Conqueror, the Anglo-Saxon period finally came to an end.
The Anglo-Saxon ruling period extends roughly from 450 A.D. to 1066 A.D.

Description

Test your knowledge about the Anglo-Saxon or Old English Period (450-1066 AD) including the migration of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes to Britain, the occupation of England, and the characteristics of the Anglo-Saxon people.