Assessment is an inescapable aspect of all MA courses and usually involves the submission of an essay for your selected modules. Suffice it to say that as an English Literature student at MA level I’m well acquainted with essays. So I wasn’t surprised when I was immediately attracted to...
Victorian Gift Books and Manuscript Culture.
In her research paper “Arthur in the Annuals: Victorian Gift Books and the Aesthetics of Myth” Dr. Garner discussed the Victorian reception of the medieval Arthurian legend and hinted at the analogues between these annuals and medieval manuscript culture. Here I would like to pursue the latter topic in...
Reconciling the Old English “Apollonius of Tyre” with its Manuscript Context: The Miscellany CCCC201.
Introduction The prosaic Old English Apollonius of Tyre occurs in the manuscript Cambridge Corpus Christi College 201(CCCC201). This single manuscript is predominantly comprised of religious, secular, poetic material, and the inclusion of Apollonius in this context has occasioned a considerable degree of confusion in relation to its genre...
Liminality: The bond that ties the hero with the monster
The term “liminal” is derived from the Latin word “limen” meaning doorway or threshold. Originally used as an anthropological term by Victor Turner the term refers to that which is transitional or in between states (Ashley). Its later application to literature and to art is intrinsically linked to its...
The Battle of Maldon: The Crisis within the Comitatus
Defining Heroic Literature The Battle of Maldon* is regarded as one of the best extant examples of Anglo Saxon heroic poetry. In order to fully comprehend Maldon‘s prominent place within the Anglo Saxon heroic canon, a comprehensive definition of heroic literature is necessary. Roberta Frank supplied such a definition...
Palaeography: An Introduction
If you look up the dictionary to define the word palaeography, you’ll likely meet a standard definition that will succinctly inform you that palaeography is the study of ancient writing. While the definition of palaeography can be simply tied down, the subject matter in this field of study is...
Caedmon’s Hymn
Introduction The beginning of this MA coincided with exploring the importance of Caedmon’s Hymn in relation to the miraculous origin of Old English literature. According to Bede, Caedmon was an illiterate cowherd who had a divine vision one night and awoke the next day with the ability to compose...
