OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE

1. Old English poetry included long epic heroic poems, which drew on the Bible as well as on pagan sources for their content. Some poetry was also based on historical events. With a history of invasions and occupations, many writings of this era are chronicles, annals, and historical records. Some are in the forms of poetry and describe various battles, for example, "The Battle of Maldon" and "The Battle of Brunanburh". The themes are war, conquest and bravery. Many eighth-century works depict Anglo-Saxon resistance against the Vikings.

2. Prose developed later than poetry - in the ninth century - but sometimes it also partly contained the characteristics of poetry. It was influenced by Latin, the language of the church and the educated. It consisted of factual, historical, and religious writings.

3. OLD ENGLISH POETRY

4. OLD ENGLISH PROSA

5. Old English literature or Anglo-Saxon literature, encompasses literature written in Old English, in Anglo-Saxon England from the 7th century to the decades after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

6. The origin of drama goes back to brief scenes that monks acted out in churches to illustrate Bible stories. These later developed into full-length plays. Sources of drama were primarily Catholic traditions and ceremonies that were gradually becoming more worldly. The Catholic church throughout Europe controlled almost the entire ideological sphere, including literary art. Drama was developing in churches where the whole society from the king to the lowest citizen gathered. It therefore had to cater to the broadest audience; hence its tendency toward secularity and language understood by the masses.

7. OLD ENGLISH DRAMA