An Invitation to Old English and Anglo-Saxon England

by Bruce Mitchell

Mitchell (Oxford U.) begins with a primer on the Old English language based on the proposition that it is only superficially different from modern English and can easily be learned outside the classroom. Then he leads a tour through Anglo-Saxon literature, history, archaeology, daily life, and Christianity. A special section explores the role of the garden in the literature. Includes full scholarly paraphernalia. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Genres: History, Anglo Saxon, Reference, Nonfiction, Linguistics, Literature, Old English Literature

424 pages, Hardcover

First published December 5, 1995

Reviews

[A.L.]

Great as a companion to A Guide to Old English, for all the little extras it offers - like an account of a nun almost eating the devil with some lettuce

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the idea behind this textbook. Bruce Mitchell, the foremost pedagogue of Old English, has written some very serious textbooks that push students very hard and assume a familiarity with Latin and Greek and access to a university library full of other resources. But with AN INVITATION TO OLD ENGLISH & ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND, Mitchell offers a book that can serve as a taste of Old English to people who aren't ready to fully commit themselves to study, and which is packed with interesting historical detail. Mitchell first gives some differences between Old English and Modern English. He then gives a very basic sketch of case endings and verbs. This forms a bare minimum so that he can give little selections of Old English texts (with generous glossing) which the student can manage to read through, using what they know from Modern English and the glossary at the back of the book. It's fun to feel like you know something of a language even when you don't have much of a clue about grammatical paradigms. Throughout the book, Mitchell alternates readings with commentary that gives a general picture of life in early medieval England, with much interesting archaeological data. All genres are represented, from history to epic poetry.

My only criticism of the book is that it is too big. Readers who would like just a small trial introduction to Old English should get something small and much less expensive than a general textbook to the language.

[alonso ruvalcaba · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesantísimo y extrañamente divertido. un lugar muy alto para un libro "de texto".