Lesson 2: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle pp.8-13

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 4

Lesson 2

Anglo-Saxon Chronicles

English Literature

PTA exam in VWO 6
This year: The Middle Ages (period 4)

• Beowulf
• Anglo-Saxon Chronicles
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
• Robin Hood
• Canterbury Tales

If you were given an opportunity to travel back in time, would you go back to Middle Ages?
Why (not)?

What do BC and AD stand for? 

BC 

''Before Christ''

AD

Anno Domini 

''in the year of our Lord''

BCE 

'Before Common Era''

CE 

''Common Era''

Changes in English

Anglo Saxon Chronicles

late 9th-12th century

Anglo Saxon Chronicles

9th-12th century

Alquin, page 11

• literary genre
• annualised record of events covering 1-1154 AD

• independently written in different monasteries
• not 100% reliable

• writers' identities unknown

• writing became increasingly personal and informal over time
• taking information from various sources

"one of the main windows on this period in English history" 

Anglo Saxon Chronicles

9th-12th century

Alquin, page 12-14

1. Why is 1066 a momentous year for the English language?

2. Compare the style of the Petersborough chronicle to the Worcester chronicle? Are both equally objective?

3. What do the descriptions of king Harold and king William suggest about the writer of the Worcester chronicle?

1 Norman conquest. New English language was formed under French influence.

2 The Petersborough account is concise, businesslike, objective, and even distant.

The Worcester passage is longer and more detailed. It does not limit itself to the bare facts, but is laced with matters of the author’s opinion (all adversity is a consequence of human sin). The writer is full of praise for Abbott Leofric and blames the monastery’s present plight on Leofric’s successors. He even appeals to God to have pity on the monastery. Because of all the detail, the Worcester passage is in stark contrast to the briefer and apparently more objective entry in the Peterborough Chronicle.

3 The writer of the passage clearly did not support William. It is likely that this chronicle entry was penned shortly after the events described and that Worcester Abbey had suffered under the high taxes and strict rule of the new king.

Check out

• Write down three things you've learned about the Anglo Saxon Chronicles today.
• What questions do you still have?

Welcumen!

Today's lesson goals:

- You know more about Anglo Saxon riddles

- You understand the historical context in which these riddles were told.

What was life like for an Anglo-Saxon child, do you think? Were there any differences for boys and girls?

The Anglo-Saxons

In the early 5th century, the Romans left Britain. The Anglo-Saxons were Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century. They were descendants of three main tribes: the Angles, Saxons, and the Jutes. The Anglo-Saxons remained a dominant ruling force and ruled England from AD 924 until the defeat of their last king Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. William of Normandy (the Conqueror) invaded England.

'England'

Angles tribe -> Angle-Land -> Engle Land -> England

What did the Anglo-Saxons do to entertain themselves, do you think? Mention three different things.

Anglo-Saxon entertainment

Sports were the favourite pastime for Anglo-Saxons: wrestling, swimming, carrying heavy stones.

Story-telling, singing, and dancing was also a part of their daily lives. Folklores and stories of Beowulf were told to children. 

• Anglo-Saxons loved their riddles. The Exeter Book of Riddles contained a total of 96 such riddles. 
• Riddles were prestigious: they were not for everyone.

Alquin Middle Ages p.15

What's the solution to the riddle you just read?

Riddles:

- You need to understand the context/time

- Subjects include: tools, weapons, animals, food, drink, natural phenomena

- metaphors and sometimes complex style

- " White is my neck..." vs. " I saw four creatures..."

What's the solution to Riddle 1?

What's the solution to Riddle 2?

What's the solution to Riddle 3?

Write three things that you have learned.

Write two things that you would like to know more about.

Write down one question that you stilll have.

Assignment

Try to write a riddle in the same style as an Old English (Anglo-Saxon) riddle. 

Work together (in pairs)

(1 0 mins)