The Wanderer is an Old English elegy which is situated in the transition period between the Anglo-Saxon society and the new emerged Christian one. This implies a great change for society and culture leading into trouble with identity with the people. Coming from a warrior culture, the wanderer suffers the disappearance of his home culture which leads to his wandering between the two cultures in a nowhere land. Although he gains wisdom and faith in the end, the focus lies on the moaning for a past he has to dismiss. Therefore, the paper will look at five different aspects starting with the formal aspect and the problem of the speakers. Secondly, the past comes into account through looking at the Anglo-Saxon warrior time and therefore exploring the depiction of the past. Linked to that is the third part which examines the imagery of ruin and hostile nature in his exile. Fourthly, Christianity and his new gained wisdom come into focus which leads to the last question of the present state of the wanderer.
However, the poem depicts his problems of adopting via discontinuity in time and narrative. Not alone are present and past hard to distinguish at certain passages but also use of speakers is questionable. Both aspects are used simultaneously to express the internal difficulty of the wanderer and in that regard also the struggle of the whole society.
Table of Contents
- The change from an Anglo-Saxon to a Christian society presented in problems of time and narrative in The Wanderer
- The formal problem of the speaker
- Difficulties in time and narration
- Anglo-Saxon Warrior: the past
- The exile: a landscape of despair
- Wisdom as a gift
- The problem of the present state
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper examines The Wanderer, an Old English elegy, focusing on the poem's presentation of the transition from Anglo-Saxon to Christian society. It explores how this societal shift impacts the speaker's identity and experience of loss, examining the poem's formal elements, narrative structure, and thematic concerns.
- The complexities of time and narration in the poem
- The portrayal of the Anglo-Saxon warrior past
- The speaker's exile and the imagery of despair
- The acquisition of wisdom and faith within a changed cultural context
- The speaker's present state and the unresolved tension between past and present
Chapter Summaries
The change from an Anglo-Saxon to a Christian society presented in problems of time and narrative in The Wanderer: This introductory chapter establishes the context of The Wanderer as an elegy situated within the transition between Anglo-Saxon and Christian societies. It highlights the consequent identity crisis faced by the speaker, a warrior displaced by cultural upheaval. The chapter outlines the paper's focus on five key aspects of the poem: the formal problem of the speaker, the depiction of the Anglo-Saxon past, the imagery of exile, the role of Christianity and acquired wisdom, and the speaker's present state. The inherent difficulties in distinguishing between past and present, and the ambiguity surrounding the poem's speaker(s), are presented as central challenges to interpretation.
The formal problem of the speaker: This section delves into the formal aspects of The Wanderer, classifying it as an elegy based on its thematic focus on lament and loss. The discussion explores the ambiguity surrounding the speaker, questioning whether the poem utilizes a single speaker or multiple voices (a narrator and the wanderer). The analysis considers the poem's alliterative verse structure and the challenges of interpreting formal elements across different translations, emphasizing the inherent complexities in understanding the poem's genre and voice.
Difficulties in time and narration: This chapter analyzes the poem's ambiguous temporal and narrative structures. The unclear chronology and the potential presence of multiple speakers are discussed. The shifting use of first and third-person pronouns is highlighted as a key element creating uncertainty in the narrative voice and potentially reflecting the speaker's internal struggle. The connection between the poem's treatment of time and narrative and the larger social changes of the period are explored, drawing parallels between the historical context and the poem's internal conflicts.
Anglo-Saxon Warrior: the past: This section examines the speaker's past as an Anglo-Saxon warrior. The chapter analyzes the imagery associated with this past—the mead hall, comradeship, and the glories of war—contrasting this with the speaker's current state of exile and loss. The discussion considers whether the speaker's lament is purely personal or also reflects a broader social longing for the past Anglo-Saxon era, linking the speaker's personal grief to a larger cultural shift. The chapter explores the metaphorical representation of the past as a "death," emphasizing the internal exile experienced by the speaker.
Keywords
The Wanderer, Old English elegy, Anglo-Saxon society, Christian society, cultural transition, identity crisis, loss, exile, wisdom, faith, time, narration, speaker ambiguity, warrior culture, lament, elegiac form.
Frequently Asked Questions: The Wanderer Analysis
What is the main focus of this academic paper?
This paper analyzes the Old English elegy, The Wanderer, focusing on its depiction of the transition from Anglo-Saxon to Christian society and how this shift impacts the speaker's identity and experience of loss. It examines the poem's formal elements, narrative structure, and thematic concerns.
What are the key themes explored in The Wanderer according to this analysis?
Key themes include the complexities of time and narration, the portrayal of the Anglo-Saxon warrior past, the speaker's exile and imagery of despair, the acquisition of wisdom and faith within a changed cultural context, and the speaker's present state and the unresolved tension between past and present.
How does the paper approach the analysis of The Wanderer?
The analysis is structured around several key aspects: the formal problem of the speaker (including ambiguity surrounding the voice and narrative structure), the difficulties in understanding the poem's time and narration, the representation of the Anglo-Saxon warrior past, and the speaker's present state and the unresolved tension between past and present. The paper also explores the impact of the societal shift from Anglo-Saxon to Christian society on the poem's themes and structure.
What are the challenges in interpreting The Wanderer discussed in the paper?
The paper highlights several interpretative challenges, including the ambiguity surrounding the speaker (single or multiple voices), the unclear chronology and shifting narrative perspectives (first and third-person pronouns), and the difficulty in distinguishing between past and present, all contributing to the complexity of understanding the poem's meaning.
What is the significance of the Anglo-Saxon warrior past in the poem?
The paper explores the imagery associated with the speaker's past as an Anglo-Saxon warrior, contrasting it with the present state of exile and loss. It considers whether the speaker's lament reflects a purely personal grief or also a broader social longing for the past, linking personal experience to a larger cultural shift. The past is metaphorically represented as a "death," highlighting the internal exile of the speaker.
How does the paper address the poem's formal aspects?
The paper classifies The Wanderer as an elegy, analyzing its alliterative verse structure and exploring the challenges of interpreting formal elements across different translations. The ambiguity surrounding the speaker's voice is examined as a central formal problem.
What is the role of time and narration in the poem's interpretation?
The ambiguous temporal and narrative structures are analyzed, highlighting the unclear chronology and the potential presence of multiple speakers. The shifting use of first and third-person pronouns is discussed as a key element creating uncertainty in the narrative voice and reflecting the speaker's internal struggle. The connection between the poem's treatment of time and narrative and the larger social changes of the period is explored.
What are the keywords associated with this analysis of The Wanderer?
Keywords include: The Wanderer, Old English elegy, Anglo-Saxon society, Christian society, cultural transition, identity crisis, loss, exile, wisdom, faith, time, narration, speaker ambiguity, warrior culture, lament, elegiac form.
- Quote paper
- Jana Schäfer (Author), 2015, The change from an Anglo-Saxon to a Christian society. Problems of time and narrative in "The Wanderer", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/316577
