Guide to Old English

by Fred C. Robinson and Bruce Mitchell

Book Overview

A Guide to Old English is now the standard and most popular introduction to Old English language and literature. The fifth edition has been revised and corrected to take into account suggestions from teachers and students. The two most important new features are a substantial introduction to Old English metre (Appendix C of Part One) and the addition of Ælfric's account of Edmund King and Martyr to the prose texts of Part Two. Key features of Part One are the fact that sound changes are not treated as an abstract system divorced from the texts, but are discussed when they become relevant to an understanding of the apparent irregularities in inflexion; the authoritative section on syntax; and the introduction to Anglo-Saxon studies, which discusses language, literature, history, archaeology, and ways of life. In Part Two the prose texts selected are those traditionally chosen by teachers precisely because they offer the best introduction to the literature and culture of the period. The verse texts, which with the exception of four extracts from Beowulf are all complete, show something of the range that Old English poetry offers in mood, intensity of feeling, humour, and natural observation. The texts are accompanied by full explanatory notes at the foot of the page and a detailed glossary. Although most readers of A Guide to Old English will be undergraduate and graduate students, the book has been written so that it can be used by those working on their own who wish simply to gain a greater understanding and enjoyment of the language and literature of the Anglo-Saxons.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0631166572
• ISBN13: 9780631166573
• Release Date: April 1992
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Good Resource

This book is an excellent resource for those interested in literature written in Old English, or in doing research into medieval things. It came ina timely fashion and is in very good condition. Thank you.

Excellent Single-Volume Introduction to Old English

This is not the best reader, the best grammar, or the best primer, but if you're looking to use just *one* introductory book before tackling longer readings with a dictionary, Mitchell and Robinson have created a fantastic resource. Work through and memorise the basic inflections as outlined in the introduction, then read up on the basic syntax, and then jump into the eighteen readings while slowly working through the rest of the grammar. Some initiative is required: Lessons and vocab lists aren't prepared for you. However, combined with a modicum of diligence and industry, this is a great way to learn Old English.

Fulfils its stated goals admirably.

Mitchell and Robinson's 'A Guide to Old English' is exactly what it claims to be: it smooths the path before the would-be reader of Old English and points out both the obstacles and the areas of interest along the way. It guides the reader through the highways and byways of Old English, and allows him to rapidly gain a reading knowledge of Old English, and some understanding of the workings of the language. Its goal is acquaintance with the tools necessary to decode actual Old English texts, rather than mastery of the language, insofar as composition is a topic omitted altogether. No attempt is made to train the reader to produce Old English.This guide is not a language textbook in the usual sense of the word. It does not progressively present points of grammar and lists of vocabulary, followed by relevant exercises and translations. Instead, it comprises two parts. The first gives a fairly detailed overview of the grammar and historical context of Old English, whilst the second contains prose and verse texts, accompanied by copious notes, for the reader to attempt. The focus of the first part is not so much the acquisition of paradigms and rules as familiarisation with the general structure of Old English. The section on syntax, very important in Old English, is remarkably comprehensive. The collection of texts in the second part is, in my opinion, well chosen, and representative of the breath of texts in Old English, without dismissing the most famous texts. One particularly useful feature of the guide is its glossary, which contains every word found in the readings, and, for every occurrence of a word in the texts, its part is indicated in the glossary. This simplifies the task of deciphering a text enormously, and obviates the necessity for a separate dictionary.This sixth edition is not greatly different to the previous editions: minor errors have been corrected, a few small additions on minor points of grammar have been made. The most important change is perhaps the addition of a few texts, e.g., the well-known 'Wulf and Eadwacer', but, all in all, the previous editions were already excellent, and there is no cogent reason to purchase this edition if a previous one is already on hand.In short, then, Mitchell and Robinson have produced a remarkably usable guide to Old English that is at once instructive and interesting. One could do much worse than to acquire this work if rapid acquisition of reading ability in Old English is desired. As noted by a previous review, the book is not really suited to philologists seeking to understand the history and evolution of English and its place within the Germanic languages. As far as I can tell, this is its single greatest shortcoming, but it doesn't detract much from its purpose. I would heartily recommend this book as an introduction to Old English.

Latin isn't the only language to improve your vocabulary!

Any student of English or German will find Old English a fascinating-- and familiar!-- language. (And don't forget FUN-- where else could you learn jaw-breakers like "neorxenawanges"? No, I'm not going to tell you what it means. Buy the book.)The revised 4th edition of this work was my textbook through two semesters of Old English in college, and its ragged and well-thumbed condition is a testament to how much I loved it. Mitchell and Robinson offer a clear and well-balanced approach to the language, literature, and culture of Anglo-Saxon Britain. The authors include both prose and poetry in their broad sampling of literary styles, and their short-but-sweet introductions to each reading help to place the text in both lingustic and historical context. The readings themselves are both interesting (for example, anyone who thinks Anglo-Saxons had no sense of humor should try the Riddles) and short enough for a beginner to handle, and increase in difficulty as one proceeds through the book. The glossary provides references back to the texts, notes variations, and (most helpful!) provides "see" references for variant forms, including inflections. Best of all, they incorporate a pronunciation guide. Although you may feel silly doing it at first, Old English is best read aloud (it started that way, after all!), the better to hear its modern cognates.Having since surveyed several other Old English "beginning" readers, I can honestly say this work is head and shoulders above everything else I've found. This is an excellent text for beginning students, I highly recommend it.

Exceptionallly useful for self-study

An excellent beginning grammer and reader. It is especially useful for self study. The explanation of grammatical points is clear, detailed and presumes no prior information. The "reader" is graded--i.e the easy stuff comes first. The glossary is absolutely invaluable because it lists every use of the word in the readings, identified by inflectional ending. If you look up a word, and it is used in the reading, that use will be specifically referrred to in the glossary (identified by line number in the work). Moreover, the specific form of the word used in that citing will be identified: if a noun, by case and number;if a verb by tense, mood and person. This means that if you are trying to teach yourself, you can attempt to parse a reading and then check your work using the glossary. The notes to the readings clarify exceptions, varient usages and dialectical anomalies. A Super Book!