Synopses & Reviews
Examines Old English poetry from the point of view of its interpretation, drawing on Anglo-Saxon pictorial art as a model for the interaction of representation and design.
Representation and Design examines Old English poetry from the point of view of its interpretation, beginning with the assumption that Anglo-Saxon concepts of reading were probably very different from those that dominate our own literary culture. The book insists on the semantic interaction of representation and design, two aspects of Old English poetry that traditionally have been examined separately, and draws on Anglo-Saxon pictorial art as a model throughout. It disputes the conventional dichotomy that interpretation makes between content and form; redefines content as a particular mode of representation -- a reflection of texts and ideologies; and recognizes form as complex and meaningful design so that the "two" no longer can be distinguished in the process of interpretation.
The author examines a range of texts -- Beowulf, The Wanderer, the Exeter Book riddles, manuscript illuminations, and the sculpture of the Ruthwell cross -- in order to consider the place of the reader, the frame, and the past in Anglo-Saxon representation. Through this process, she traces a fluidity of signification and suggests that an Anglo-Saxon aesthetic would be both complex and enigmatic.
"This book offers new insights into poems and issues at the heart of Old English literature. Readings intelligently informed by postmodern theory are increasingly in demand in the field. The reading of the Ruthwell cross in relation to the Dream of the Rood is particularly supple and sensitive, and will change my classroom presentation of thispoem forever". -- Jon Wilcox, University of Iowa
Synopsis
A study of Old English poetry from the point of view of its interpretation beginning with the assumption that Anglo-Saxon concepts of reading were very different from our own. Emphasis is placed on the need to examine the interaction between content and design, drawing on Anglo-Saxon pictorial art as a model. Head discusses a range of texts including Beowulf, The Wanderer and the Exeter Book riddles. The reading of the Ruthwell cross in relation to the Dream of the Rood is particularly interesting.
Synopsis
Representation and Design examines Old English poetry from the point of view of its interpretation, beginning with the assumption that Anglo-Saxon concepts of reading were probably very different from those that dominate our own literary culture. The book insists on the semantic interaction of representation and design, two aspects of Old English poetry that traditionally have been examined separately, and draws on Anglo-Saxon pictorial art as a model throughout. It disputes the conventional dichotomy that interpretation makes between content and form; redefines content as a particular mode of representation--a reflection of texts and ideologies; and recognizes form as complex and meaningful design so that the "two" no longer can be distinguished in the process of interpretation.
The author examines a range of texts--Beowulf, The Wanderer, the Exeter Book riddles, manuscript illuminations, and the sculpture of the Ruthwell cross--in order to consider the place of the reader, the frame, and the past in Anglo-Saxon representation. Through this process, she traces a fluidity of signification and suggests that an Anglo-Saxon aesthetic would be both complex and enigmatic.
Synopsis
Examines Old English poetry from the point of view of its interpretation, drawing on Anglo-Saxon pictorial art as a model for the interaction of representation and design.
Synopsis
Pauline E. Head is Associate Professor of English at York University.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-161) and index.