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Old English Literature I (ENGL0021)

Key information

Faculty
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Teaching department
English Language and Literature
Credit value
30
Restrictions
Module is available only to students on the BA English programme, full-year affiliates enrolled in the English Department or jointly with another department, students on the Arts and Sciences BASc degree programme who have successfully completed the ENGL0005 Introduction to English Literature module, and to students in other departments who have successfully completed the ENGL0047 Narrative Texts module.
Timetable

Alternative credit options

This module is offered in several versions which have different credit weightings (e.g. either 15 or 30 credits). Please see the links below for the alternative versions. To choose the right one for your programme of study, check your programme handbook or with your department.

  1. Old English Literature I A (ENGL0022)

Description

The earliest English literature was written in Anglo-Saxon England from the late 600s to the reign of King Alfred the Great (871-99). Between faction-fighting at home and Viking invasions from abroad, an evolution took place in these centuries in which many warring aristocracies from Northumbria to Kent were slowly reduced to a smaller number of kingdoms with Wessex at their head. This module gives an opportunity to study the rich variety of the Old English poetry and prose of the earlier period in which tribal warfare, fierce Christianity and tangled politics are reflected in traditional and contemporary tales of mortal combat, spiritual ecstasy and the love of dangerous men and women. Poems including Beowulf, The Wanderer and The Seafarer, are read in full or in extract alongside Bede's account of Cædmon, the earliest named poet in the English language, stories involving ambush and assassination from The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and some of the earliest English prose from the reign of King Alfred. The aim of this module is to provide students with sufficient knowledge of Old English language and the background to the period to enable them to analyse these texts in terms of both their literary value and their social and cultural context.

Teaching consists of twice-weekly one-hour seminars. The module is examined by a written exam paper containing translation and commentary of texts already studied in class, and essay questions.

Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year

Intended teaching term: Terms 1 and 2 ÌýÌýÌý Undergraduate (FHEQ Level 6)

Teaching and assessment

Mode of study
In Person
Methods of assessment
100% Exam
Mark scheme
Numeric Marks

The methods of assessment for affiliate students may be different to those indicated above. Please contact the department for more information.

Other information

Number of students on module in previous year
4
Module leader
Professor Richard North
Who to contact for more information
jessica.green@ucl.ac.uk

Last updated

This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.

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