John D. Niles

This review of the critical reception of Old English Literature from 1900 to the present moves beyond a focus on individual literary texts, surveying the different schools, methods, and assumptions that have shaped the discipline. It examines notable works and authors from the period, including Beowulf, the Venerable Bede, heroic poems, and devotional literature. The discussion reinforces key perspectives with...

The Idea of Anglo-Saxon England, 1066-1901 presents the first systematic review of the ways in which Anglo-Saxon studies have evolved from their beginnings to the twentieth century. Tells the story of how the idea of Anglo-Saxon England evolved from the Anglo-Saxons themselves to the Victorians, serving as a myth of origins for the English people, their language, and some of...