Overview

In Signs that Sing, Heather Maring argues that oral tradition, religious ritual, and literate Latin-based practices are dynamically interconnected in Old English poetry. Resisting the tendency to study these different forms of expression separately, this book contends that poets combined them in hybrid techniques that were important to the early development of English literature. Maring examines a variety of texts, including Beowulf, The Battle of Maldon, The Dream of the Rood, and the Advent Lyrics, and shows how themes from oral tradition became metaphors for sacred concepts in the hands of Christian authors and how oral performance and religious liturgy influenced written poetry. The result, she demonstrates, is richly elaborate verse filled with shared symbols and themes that a wide range of audiences could understand and find meaningful.

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9780813054469

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Maring strikes out into wholly new territory. . . . Demonstrating repeatedly the hybridity of a poetic corpus that derives much of its meaning from the fusion of oral themes, literate hermeneutics, and ritual performances, Signs that Sing makes a valuable contribution to the study of Old English poetry. --Speculum Offers a broad sampling of poetic delights, enabling the reader to marvel anew at the aesthetic complexity of some of Europe's oldest vernacular verse. --Medieval Review

"""Maring strikes out into wholly new territory. . . . Demonstrating repeatedly the hybridity of a poetic corpus that derives much of its meaning from the fusion of oral themes, literate hermeneutics, and ritual performances, Signs that Sing makes a valuable contribution to the study of Old English poetry.""--Speculum ""Offers a broad sampling of poetic delights, enabling the reader to marvel anew at the aesthetic complexity of some of Europe's oldest vernacular verse.""--Medieval Review"

Maring strikes out into wholly new territory. . . . Demonstrating repeatedly the hybridity of a poetic corpus that derives much of its meaning from the fusion of oral themes, literate hermeneutics, and ritual performances, Signs that Sing makes a valuable contribution to the study of Old English poetry. --Speculum

Author Information

Heather Maring is assistant professor of English at Arizona State University.

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