Old English Poetry in Context

Old English poetry comprises a fascinating and surprisingly wide-ranging body of texts, one which continues to engage readers today and to affect the content of contemporary films, games, and fantasy writing. This book places these poems in three specific contexts - social, literary and critical - and offers close readings in response to the themes which emerge. These include the ways in which ongoing processes of change and adaptation can be seen to operate within a model of heroic behaviour and priorities, concerned with issues of community, identity and memory. The guide enables readers to consider new ideas in relation to existing critical approaches and debates, and to see how changing perspectives have continued to shape our understanding of these poems.