The Beginnings of English Society

The Pelican History of England #2

by Dorothy Whitelock

From "the coming of the English" into the Romanized province of Britain (traditionally dated to the year 449) to the Norman Conquest of 1066, it was the Anglo-Saxons who controlled the territory of England. In this book, the author draws on a range of evidence to offer an analysis of their way of life. She examines the basic structures of society - the hierarchy descending from the King, his court and the noblemen to the churls and slaves - the systems of administration and law and the role and organization of the Church. Britain may have been at the edge of the civilized world, yet the Anglo-Saxons produced a distinguished body of literature, Latin and vernacular, and many important works of art.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, European History, British Literature, Medieval

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_...

Reviews

[Rosemary Atwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ever-reliable Whitelock provides a balanced and accessible portrait of the ‘Bright Ages’ and its people.
There’s a treasure house of detail to be immersed in here with the author’s fine intellect and knowledge of the period generously displayed on every page. Delve in and enjoy.

[Brian Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whitelock's mastery of early medieval culture exposes fascinating shifts in values, with violent collisions of ethnic groups and the melding of religious traditions. Concerning the influence of Christianity, Whitelock notes that among the warlike Anglo-Saxons and Danes invading England, men commonly paid a bride price for wives or captured women in battle. But soon after the year 1000, the partly Christianized King Cnut announced, "No woman or maiden shall ever be forced to marry one whom she dislikes, nor be sold for money." Another law for the Danes of Kent held that a wife who "wishes to depart with her children" got half the goods of the household. And even if a husband committed crimes and lost all his property, his wife's wealth could not be confiscated. Step by dramatic step, Whitelock shows the face of English society emerging from a vast flux of cultures.

[Bryan--The Bee’s Knees · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bottom-line first: Adequate if not terribly exciting general survey of life in England up to 1066; covers social structure, religious life, arts, laws and the nobility. Organized by subject rather than by date.

Haiku review:

A day in the life
In the misty English past
Of churls and nobles

Review ends here.

General Surveys in general dept :

I am fairly well convinced with this last effort that general surveys of any time or place are a waste of time for me. If I were writing an historical novel, and wanted to get a feel for the way life may have been at that time, then I think they would be invaluable. But this is the second volume in the Pelican History of England that I've read (the first, Roman Britain, only a few months ago) and I don't know if I can repeat one relative thing I absorbed out of either of them. Again--if a general survey addresses a particular time that one is absorbed by, then I think they would be great. But for me, a casual reader looking for a bit of information on a wide variety of time periods and customs, this kind of organization simply fails to hold my interest. I have found that a well-done biography--provided that the biographer places his subject among the events of the day--can impart a far better idea of the tone, the zeitgeist if you will, of the period. Robert Caro is an excellent example of that, with his Lyndon Johnson biography. You don't even have to like Johnson to appreciate Caro's writing. Caro doesn't.

A biography gives the author a central point to rally his information around--this outline by subject, as taken in this Pelican English History volume, skips about so much, turning backward and forward in time, that it becomes a succession of place names I cannot place, where characters I have no context for do things that have little meaning. I have an old biography of King Alfred on my shelves at home--I'll be interested in how the transfer of information works in that style, given that it covers some of the same period that Whitlock's book does.

Of course, then we run into the 'great man of history' problem, if it is a problem. Some folks don't like that approach--I say let them read about a society reconstructed by archeologists from 6th century pottery shards then. Maybe there really is something wrong with organizing history by great personages, but if that kind of organization helps me to actually retain some of what I read, then it's ispo facto more effective than even the best-intentioned social history.

Sadly, I think this probably marks the end of my experiment with this particular series. I had high hopes, but I'm not going to spend any more time on something that I have no memory of reading just a few days after finishing. It's like reading a book about wallpaper samples. I'm sure there are some who would find it interesting (and I'm no stranger to boring books!), but I think the vast majority needs something else to keep them reading.

[Spencer H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars. I struggled at first to get into this title, as Whitelock has a habit of listing monarchs and locations without much context. For a Canadian reader not overly familiar with English geography or the succession of Anglosaxon kings, this was initially quite off-putting; however, the repetitive nature of some of the key historical figures and further details in relevant chapters really helped solidify things. Overall I thought this was an excellent, succinct summary of the Anglosaxon peoples, and I was surprised by how much I learned about the early church, the (surprisingly modern) role of women, and legal system. I can't recommend it as a particularly gripping read for the casual dabbler in non-fiction, but if you're a history buff looking to learn a bit more about this period, I'd say this is still a relevant, informative volume.

[Jason.beck14 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even history needs a little more narrative to engage the reader. Anyway, not bad but takes commitment

[Lauren Albert]

It was okay. Dragged a little for me.

[Stratton Meyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. As a student of history, I have often enjoyed these kinds of writings and as someone who did not have a firm grasp on the Anglo-Saxon period I was looking forward to exploring more of what that time had to offer.

Unfortunately, I found this book very dull. The author clearly knows her stuff, but the book itself reads more like a list of events, places, and people without any of the necessary context for those not already intimately aware of them. Several things would have greatly helped in my comprehension of the chapters offered (which are intriguingly titled things like "The Bonds of Society" and "Trade and Town Life). A glossary of terms would have helped with terms like "weregild" or "hundred", for example.

The structure of these chapters was confusing. Though each one focuses on one aspect of Anglo-Saxon life, they jump between places and time periods without consideration for the lay reader. It reads more like a list than a useful reference book.

I wish I had more positive things to say.

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the book is a little old it still had good information about life in Anglo-Saxon England. I enjoyed reading about how art and architecture differed in various regions in England and how it was influenced from the Continent but yet also influenced the Continent. There is not a whole lot on women but I believe this is typical for the time period she's writing in. However, she does mention a couple of interesting things - that women couldn't be forced to marry against their will and that they could be copiers of manuscripts. There is no map unfortunately. The bibliography also could use updating as it is arranged by subject and lists all the subsequent books in paragraph form making it difficult to read. She refers to Frank Stenton a lot and nothing of Gildas was used.

[Riversue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good solid history of the Anglo-Saxons.

[Michael Vawser]

Reprint 1956

[Michael Eklund · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit old now, and a bit of heavy reading, but otherwise a solid overview of English society in the centuries before year 1000.

[Cleaky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drink mead, be merry.

[S. A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the series that we used at Michigan State back in the day. It is clear, understandable and factual writing. Gives you a great overview. I look back on the classes where it was used with great fondness. The texts didn't detract from that enjoyment.

[Mike Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating book, if a little academic for my taste - full review here

http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.u...

[Steve Groves · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat dry, but readable enough...couldn't bring myself to finish it.