What can an epic poem tell us about the beliefs and attitudes of its audience? What does the literature of the medieval period tell us about the world of the past? Why is so much of what we know about the early Britons from outsiders? What do Old English works say to us today?
In the 24 lessons of Old English Literature: Language as History, you will experience the premodern world through the powerful tool of the written word. With the guidance of author and medieval scholar Professor Renée Trilling, you will look back on the early medieval history of the British Isles and discover what Old English can reveal about the peoples, traditions, beliefs, and cultures of the past. And not only will you get a deep understanding of the literary conventions and historical contexts of medieval works, but you will also learn the fundamentals of the Old English language, including grammar, syntax, pronunciation, and more. With these linguistic skills under your belt, you will experience Old English as the vibrant and complex language it once was—and continues to be—in great works like Beowulf. Along the way, you will discover the many layers of history embedded deep within the English language itself.
The origin stories—both real and fictional—that arose from this period would form the foundation of a culture that would eventually spread across the world through both cultural influence and colonial domination.
