The Poetics of Old English

Combining literary analysis and theoretical linguistics, this engaging study provides a critical reassessment of Anglo-Saxon verse and prose and identifies an inherent poetic nature present in all Old English texts. Beechy demonstrates poetic strategies in a variety of sources, including King Alfred's version of Boethius, as well as homilies, law codes, riddles and charms, and shows that Old English texts, when considered at the level of language, are surprisingly sophisticated.