Water and fire : the myth of the flood in Anglo-Saxon England / Daniel Anlezark.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Anlezark, Daniel.

Series:

Manchester medieval literature

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Floods in literature.

English literature--Old English, ca. 450-1100.

English literature.

English literature--Old English.

Deluge.

Floods--Mythology--England.

Floods.

Mythology, Anglo-Saxon.

Mythology.

England.

Physical Description:

x, 398 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Manchester ; New York : Manchester University Press ; New York : Distributed exclusively in the USA by Palgrave, 2006.

Summary:

Noah' s Flood is one of the Bible' s most popular stories, and flood myths survive in many cultures today. This book presents the first comprehensive examination of the incorporation of the Flood myth into the Anglo-Saxon imagination. Focusing on literary representations, it contributes to our understanding of how Christian Anglo-Saxons perceived their place in the cosmos. For them, history unfolded between the primeval Deluge and a future - perhaps imminent - flood of fire, which would destroy the world. This study reveals both an imaginative diversity and shared interpretations of the Flood myth. Anglo-Saxons saw the Flood as a climactic event in God' s ongoing war with his more rebellious creatures, but they also perceived the mystery of redemption through baptism.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [375]-391) and index.

ISBN:

0719063981

OCLC:

64313431

Publisher Number:

9780719063985