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Article: Making Thanes: Literature, Rhetoric and State Formation in Anglo-Saxon England.(Critical Essay)
- Article from:
- Philological Quarterly
- Article date:
- January 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 University of Iowa. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In his brief introduction to Anglo-Saxon society and literature, Patrick Wormald notes two basic but frequently overlooked facts: that the kingdom of England was created by Anglo-Saxon politicians, soldiers, and churchmen in the ninth and tenth centuries, and that these men and their subjects left us a significant literature in their own language. Juxtaposing these facts, Wormald suggests that "the English kingdom was ultimately the most successful `Dark Age' state, because it alone effectively harnessed native speech."(1) Wormald's supporting discussion also indicates that the type and amount of vernacular literary activity during these centuries was at least partly ...