The Use of Voices in Old English and Middle English Literature

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Lucía Bausela Buccianti Prof. Gustavo E. Kofman Literatura Inglesa I Universidad Nacional de La Rioja Argentina June 13th, 2012 The Use of Voices in Old English and Middle English Literature The Middle Ages is the time span that covers part of the fifth century up to the fifteenth; that is to say, from the collapse of the Roman Empire up to the Reformation or Renaissance. In England, there is a clear distinction between two minor periods as regards the language that was spoken during those times. Old English was brought to the island by the Anglo-Saxon invaders. It was the language of the Nordic tribes that arrived to the British islands seeking to expand their lands, and they passed on their own old legends and customs to the inhabitants of the time. Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, replaced Celtic and several dialects, and was spoken from the fifth century up to the tenth. Then, in 1066, the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest became a turning point in English history. Middle English is now considered the variety of English that was spoken since that event up to the end of the Middle Ages, around the 1450s. As regards literary production, both periods have magnificent material that can be analyzed, although, especially from the Old English period, not much is preserved. There are many aspects from both varieties of English that can be studied, compared, and contrasted in literary pieces. One of those aspects has to do with narrative voices; i.e. the persona that narrates the events and therefore conveys the story. This essay aims to describe the use of narrative voices in literary pieces from both periods and the characteristics of those voices in terms of social position in the community of the time. Old English Literature is characterized by the use of a single poetic persona for the narrating of the story. As Old English literature was

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