Old English Wisdom Poetry

By Russell Poole

Bibliography and guide to scholarly literature on the genre of Old English wisdom poetry.

Wisdom literature played a crucial role in the evolution of traditional societies, contributing to the structure of society and to the acceptance of new ideas within a culture, a function that has become increasingly understood. Old English wisdom literature is the focus of this volume, which offers an bibliography of the scholarly criticism between 1800 and 1990 of a group of largely secular poems comprising the metrical Charms, The Fortunes of Men, The Gifts of Men, Homiletic Fragments I and II, Maxims I and II, The Order of the World, Precepts, the metrical Proverbs, the Riddles of the Exeter Book, the Rune Poem, Solomon and Saturn, and Vainglory. A General Introduction investigates debates between scholars and establishes overall trends; it is followed by the bibliography proper, divided into chapters, each with its own introduction, focusing on a major text or collection of texts, with entries arranged chronologically.
Dr RUSSELL POOLEteaches in the School of English and Media Studies at Massey University, New Zealand.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0859915301
• ISBN13: 9780859915304
• Release Date: July 1998
• Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
• Length: 430 Pages
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 9.3" x 6.1"