Synopses & Reviews
This is a major new reader of Old English, the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons before the Norman Conquest. Designed both for beginning and for more advanced students, it breaks new ground in two ways, first in its range of texts, and second in the degree of annotation it offers. The fifty-six prose and verse texts include the established favourites such as The Battle of Maldon and King Alfred's Preface to his Pastoral Care, but also others which have not before been readily available, such as a complete Easter homily, Aelfric's life of Saint Aethelthryth and all forty-six Durham proverbs. Headnotes establish the literary and historical contexts for the works that are represented, and reflect the rich cultural variety of Anglo-Saxon England. Modern English word glosses and explanatory notes are provided on the same page as the text. Other features include a reference grammar and a comprehensive glossary.
Review
"The selection of texts covers ground that no previous Reader has approached. There are items that will be of interest to specialists in Womenas Studies and Cultural Studies o The reference grammar has the best presentation I have seen in a resource of this sort - the content is both comprehensive and concise; and the arrangement is logical and user-friendly. The headnotes are also outstanding." Paul Remley, University of Washington, Seattle"Marsden has done a masterful job of glossing and annotating the texts in the Reader...he gets the level of annotation just right for a university-level student of the subject. I admire his headnotes very much for the amount of material he manages to convey in a relatively short space...I think that this book will be very easy to teach from. The number of texts that he offers in the book is remarkable and admirable... in addition, the careful level of glossing and annotation of some difficult texts means that a teacher can assign a much wider range of texts than usual in an introductory course..." Katherine O'Brien O'Keeffe, University of Notre Dame"Marsden's Reader offers much to admire... the book is a boon to beginners and advanced students who might want to experience some of the vividness and variety of Old English literature, and a challenge to teachers whose pedagogy has become routinized in a few canonical texts, unquestioned assumptions and repetitive readings." The Medieval Review
Synopsis
A major new reader of Old English, with fifty-six annotated texts, grammar and glossary.
Synopsis
This is a major new reader of Old English, designed both for beginning and for more advanced students. It breaks new ground, first in its broad and unusual range of verse and prose texts, and second in the degree of same-page annotation it offers, plus reference grammar and glossary.
Synopsis
This is a major new reader of Old English, the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons before the Norman Conquest. Designed both for beginning and for more advanced students, it breaks new ground, first in its range of texts, and second in the degree of annotation it offers. The fifty-six prose and verse texts include established favourites and some less familiar works. Headnotes, modern English word glosses and explanatory notes occur on the same page. Other features include a reference grammar and a comprehensive glossary.
About the Author
Richard Marsden is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Nottingham, where he teaches Old English, Anglo-Saxon studies and the history of the English language. In addition to numerous articles on Old English literature and language, he has published The Text of the Old Testament in Anglo-Saxon England (Cambridge University Press, 1995).
Table of Contents
Introduction: the writing and pronunciation of Old English; The texts: 1. Teaching and learning (ten texts); 2. Keeping a record (nine texts); 3. Spreading the word (nine texts); 4. Example and exhortation (nine texts); 5. Telling tales (seven texts); 6. Reflection and lament (12 texts); Manuscripts and emendations; Reference grammar; Glossary; Guide to terms; Index of people, places and topics.