Information about boevful


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1 The Dawn of English literature







. The Dawn of English literature. The literature of the 7th-13th centuries

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INFORMATION ABOUT BOEVFUL
ENGLISH LITERATURE THE 7TH-13TH CENTURIES
Beowulf, heroic poem, the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic. The work deals with events of the early 6th century, and, while the date of its composition is uncertain, some scholars believe that it was written in the 8th century. Although originally untitled, the poem was later named after the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, whose exploits and character provide its connecting theme. There is no evidence of a historical Beowulf, but some characters, sites, and events in the poem can be historically verified. The poem did not appear in print until 1815. 
The dawn of english literature
The Ancient Britons and Their Language. Many hundred years ago (about the 4th century before our era) the country we now call England was known as Britain, and the people who lived there were the Britons. They belonged to the Celtic race; the language they spoke was Celtic. Their culture (that is to say, their way of thinking and their understanding of nature) was very primitive. They believed that different gods lived in the thickest and darkest parts of the woods. Some plants such as the mistletoe and the oak-tree were thought to be sacred. The Britons were governed by a class of priests called the Druids, who had great power over them.
Some curious customs of the Druids are still kept in Britain nowa days, and some traces of the Celtic language are to be found in the English of today; we meet them for the most part in geographical names: dunldum – "down", "dune" (the towns ofDunscore, Dunedin, Dumbarton); amvuin/avon–"river" (Stratford-on-Avon).
How the Romans Came. In the 1st century before our era Britain, was conquered by the powerful State of Rome. The Romans were practical men. They were very clever at making roads and building bridges and fine tall houses that are admired to this day. The Romans thought a great deal of fighting and they were so strong that they usually managed to win most of the battles they fought. The Romans were greatly interested to learn from travellers that; valuable metals were to be found in Britain. Finally they decided to occupy the island; they crossed the sea in galleys under the command of Julius Caesar. Caesar wrote an interesting account of Britain. But well-trained as these soldiers were, it was not so easy to conquer the Britons, and the Romans had to encamp troops all over the country. It is from these camps that some of the English cities later arose.
The Latin word "castra" – "camp" became a suffix and was later pronounced. The names of many English towns never dropped the Latin ending, and you can find Lancaster, Manchester, Worcester, Leicester and many others on the map.
Many things the Romans taught the Britons were given Latin names. They made the Britons build roads and bridges and a high wall in the north to keep the savages out. Thus the word "wall" comes from the Latin "vallum", "street" from "strata" meaning "road". But the Romans and the natives of Britain did not become one nation; all that the Romans wanted was to make the Britons work for them.
Towards the end of the 4th century the invasion of all of Europe by barbaric peoples compelled the Romans to leave Britain, because they were needed to defend their own country. The fall of the Roman Empire followed soon after.
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