Famous ancient english writers biography
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Their impact on the literary world, the number of copies sold, and their cultural significance are some of the key elements that define their greatness. Jane Austen, celebrated for her keen social insights, penned enduring novels such as Pride and Prejudice. Wulfstan—both wrote homilies in the late tenth/early eleventh century, but Ælfric's tone is instructional and measured while Wulfstan's is urgent and declamatory.
The Tay Bridge has blown down…
William Shakespeare
The most famous of all English playwrights was born in 1564 and died on St Georges Day, in 1616. These historical authors crafted literary masterpieces that not only captivated their contemporaries but also left a lasting influence on society and future writers.
This distinction matters for understanding who Old English texts were written for.
Homilists and Legal Writers: Public Discourse
These authors used Old English for practical persuasion—sermons, laws, and moral exhortation. The roles of Othello and Lady Macbeth explore themes of jealousy and ambition, resonating deeply within audiences today.
Bede was made a doctor of the Chruch in the nineteenth century. Old English poems also share formulas— a formula is something like "once upon a time" or "happily ever after." One such formula is weox under wolcnum (grew under the skies). We have a short poem called "Bede's Death Song" and a longer poem (which may not be by Bede) called "Doomsday."
Caedmon (s.vii).
His birthday is (usually!) celebrated on 23rd April in Stratford-upon-Avon…
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the most prominent of English Romantic poets. He is credited with enriching the English language, introducing over 1,700 words and expressions still in use today. Alfred was King of the West Saxons, and conquerer of the Vikings.
By examining their major works and the themes they explored, one can appreciate how these British writers reshaped the literary landscape.
Influential Authors from the 18th to 20th Century
From the dawn of the 18th century, influential authors emerged, each contributing uniquely to the narrative of English literature. Maybe that’s why each year thousands of visitors continue to flock to Winchester in Hampshire to get closer to the ‘real’ Jane Austen…
Robert “Rabbie” Burns
Robert Burns is the best loved Scottish poet, admired not only for his verse and great love-songs, but also for his character and wit, his high spirits, ‘kirk-defying’, hard drinking and womanising!
Caedmon the first English poet
Caedmon is recognised as the first English poet composing his Hymn in Old English at Whitby Abbey in the 7th century.
Charlotte Bronte
The eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood.
Her novel ‘Jane Eyre’ is widely considered a classic…
Lord Byron
‘Mad, bad and dangerous to know’. The major exceptions in poetry are Bede, Caedmon, Cynewulf, and King Alfred.(Here is Harris' list of all named authors in the Old English period.)
Oral-Formulaic Theory. Writing the Oral Tradition.
Web Sites:
Library Reference Guide
Dictionary of National Biography (via UMass only)
Labyrinth Resources for Medieval Studies
Anglo-Saxon Aloud (all OE poetry read aloud in OE!)
Slade's Beowulf
North-way pagan myth site
Staffordshire Hoard
Editions:
Literature Online (UMass only)
Poems in Old English
Old English Major Authors
Almost all Old English poetry is anonymous.
Other pages cover a general overview and prosody and style.
Reference Works:
Lapidge, Michael et al. Their work shows how the vernacular functioned in public and political life, not just in poetry or devotional reading.
Wulfstan
- Archbishop and royal advisor—served as Archbishop of York and drafted law codes for Æthelred and Cnut
- Sermo Lupi ad Anglos—his most famous sermon ("Sermon of the Wolf to the English") thunders against moral decay during the Viking invasions
- Distinctive rhetorical style—uses intense repetition, two-stress phrases, and apocalyptic imagery, making his prose immediately recognizable
Compare: Ælfric vs.
Cynewulf is only a name.