ENL 5206 Spring 2024 - Johnson

This course is an introduction to the language and literature of Anglo-Saxon England. The cultural and historical entity that we refer to as “Anglo-Saxon England” lasted from about 500-1200. This period saw the production of literature, art and other cultural institutions that are still with us today. In this course we will explore the language of the Anglo-Saxons, focusing initially on learning to translate what to many would appear to be a foreign language, but which in reality is the ancient ancestor of our own.

Please do not be put off by the grammar-intensive schedule that comprises the first part of the course. Old English is the easiest language for a native speaker of English to learn, and moreover, all of the exercises and texts you will be translating are taken directly from one of the richest medieval literary traditions in existence, which means that when you complete this course you will have direct access to that literature. No prior knowledge of Old English or any other synthetic language (such as Latin or German) is required or assumed.

Qui amat uina, non execratur crateras; qui nucleos, non putamina; qui segetes, non boues; qui lac, non uaccas; qui Deum, non proximum; et qui amat scientiam, non abhorreat a grammatica, sine qua nemo eruditis aut sapiens esse poterit.

He who loves wine does not hate goblets; he who loves nuts does not mind nutshells; he who loves corn does not object to oxen; he who loves milk does not detest cows; he who loves God does not hate his neighbor; and he who loves knowledge should not loathe grammar, without which no one can be either learned or wise. — Collectanea (8th century)