British literature

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clude genres such as epic poetry, hagiography, sermons, Bible translations, legal works, chronicles, riddles, and others.^[9] In all there are about 400 surviving manuscripts from the period.^[9]
Oral tradition was very strong in early English culture and most literary works were written to be performed.^[10][11] Epic poems were thus very popular, and some, including Beowulf, have survived to the present day. Beowulf, is the most famous work in Old English and has achieved national epic status in England, despite being set in Scan­dinavia.
Nearly all Anglo-Saxon authors are anonymous: twelve are known by name from Medieval sources, but only four of those are known by their vernacular works with any certainty: C$dmon, Bede, Alfred the Great, and Cynewulf. C$dmon is the earliest English poet whose name is known.^[12] Csdmon’s only known surviving work is Ctedmon’s Hymn, which probably dates from the late 7th century.
Chronicles contained a range of historical and literary ac­counts, and a notable example is the Anglo-Saxon Chroni- cle.^[13] The poem Battle ofMaldon also deals with history. This is the name given to a work, of uncertain date, cel­ebrating the real Battle of Maldon of 991, at which the Anglo-Saxons failed to prevent a Viking invasion.^[14]
Classical antiquity was not forgotten in Anglo-Saxon England and several Old English poems are adaptations of late classical philosophical texts. The longest is King Alfred's (849-99) translation of Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy.^[15]

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