Signs that sing : hybrid poetics in Old English verse

235 Pages·2017·1.71 MB·English

by  Maring, Heather

SIGNS THAT SING
o
University Press of Florida
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
New College of Florida, Sarasota
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola
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S IGN S
o
T HAT
o
S I NG
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HYBRID POETICS IN
OLD ENGLISH VERSE
Heather Maring
University Press of Florida
Gainesville · Tallahassee · Tampa · Boca Raton
Pensacola · Orlando · Miami · Jacksonville · Ft. Myers · Sarasota
Copyright 2017 by Heather Maring
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
This book may be available in an electronic edition.
22 21 20 19 18 17 6 5 4 3 2 1
A record of cataloging-in-publication data is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-8130-5446-9
The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the State University
System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida
Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, New College
of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida,
University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
http://upress.ufl.edu
For Brad and Kai
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Notes on Citations xi
Introduction 1
1. Hybrid Poetics in Old English Verse 8
2. Metonymy, Gifre, Grædig, and a Devouring-the-Dead Theme 34
3. A Lord-Retainer Theme 50
4. Refiguring Hybrid Oral-Literate Signs 71
5. Bright Voice of Praise: An Old English Poet-Patron Theme 93
6. A Sea Voyage in The Dream of the Rood 113
7. Signifying the Coming of Christ in The Advent Lyrics 128
Afterword: Signs That Sing 155
Notes 161
Bibliography 195
Index 217
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is an homage to the rhetorical sophistication of Old English
poetry. Because of their metrical and formulaic consistency, Old English
poems can be deceptively simple while doing something very complex:
mixing expressions and modes of signification from written, oral, and
ritual traditions. The synthesis of these traditions represents an extraor-
dinary development.
I am deeply indebted to the late John Miles Foley for his guidance and
wisdom. I am also indebted to Emily Thornbury and the anonyomous
readers for their incisive and profoundly helpful feedback. Others deserv-
ing thanks for their suggestions and support for this book at its various
stages include Mark Amodio, Tiffany Beechy, Robert Bjork, Anne Bram-
ley, Martin Camargo, Markus Cruse, Elizabeth Detwiler, Joseph Frus-
cione, Lori Garner, William H. Green, Joseph Harris, Richard A. Hocks,
Ian James, Michelle Karnes, Alice Keefe, Emma Lipton, Dhira Mahoney,
Shannon McCarthy, John McKinnell, Britt Mize, Joseph Nagy, Roy Ruk-
kila, Brad Ryner, Catherine Saucier, Robert Sturges, and John Zemke.
The support of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Stud-
ies (ACMRS), through the ACMRS Faculty Fellowship, and the Arizona
State University Department of English, through Junior Faculty Leave,
enabled the writing of this book.
An earlier version of chapter 5 appears under the title “Bright Voice of
Praise: An Old English Convention,” in Studies in Philology 108 (2011):