Age. English literature was
almost exclusively a verse literature in oral form. The oldest
specimens which now exist are found in the Exeter Book
containing the following poems Widsith, Doer’s Lament, The
Wanderer and The Sea-Farer, The Battle of Maldon. By far the
most significant poem of the Anglo-Saxon Age, however, is
Beowulf which is the oldest poem and the oldest surviving epic in
the English language. It is the representative work of Pagan
poetry. The poem descended from generation to generation in
oral form, sung by bards at the end of the sixth century. The
present manuscript was written down in the 10th century or at the
end of the 9th century.
The characteristics of Anglo-Saxon poetry are the abundant
use of metaphor, understatement and alliterative meter. At the
same time a number of Christian poets appeared. The most
well-known were Caedmon and Cynewulf. They chiefly took their
subject matter from the Bible, but their writing styles were almost
the same as Anglo-Saxon poetry.
The Norman Conquest in 1066 brought forward a literary
revolution. Thanks to the French influence, the language and
literary taste experienced an enormous change. A new literary
form named “romance” became prevailing. Romance dealt mainly
with perilous adventures about courageous knights’ devotion to
the king and church. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the most
charming and enduring example.

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