Anglo-Saxon society and its literature
Patrick Wormald
The country in which this book was conceived, and the literary language it is written, are both more than a thousand years old. 'kingdom of England' created by Anglo-Saxon politicians, soldiers churchmen ninth tenth centuries. They their subjects have left us significant literature own language. Readers may be tempted to take facts for granted. Yet each not only exceptional but also extraordinary. No other European state has existed within approximately its modern boundaries anything like so long. Few current literatures specimens France, Spain Italy reached roughly today's political shape before England, Germany at much same time. But all were broken up external conquest or internal collapse. Their 'resurrection' belongs latermedieval, early-modern nineteenth-century history. England itself, notoriously, overrun Normans 1066, did break up. Among sub-Roman successor-states, least one had vernacular
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