"greatest" German epic, despite the fact that it
             appears to contain many pre-Christian ideas. (Abrams 4) Abrams asserts
             that the poetry of the Middle Ages is a "dark one." Although the world may
             have seemed depressing, the poetry of the Old English displays "harsh
             reality with an extraordinary subtly and intensity" (5). It is important
             to note that there was also a level of excitement in Old English poetry,
             which can be seen by the use of irony. The Middle Age literature often
             used humor and irony to garner experiences from the reader as something
             The Norman Conquest was an event that made literature something that
             belonged more to the people. Literature was taken from the aristocracy and
             the "cohesive spirit" it had formerly carried with it. (6) This is
             significant because it meant literature was not only being written by those
             who attained an educated, but those who were less educated as well. Abrams
             points out the literature that appears at the end of the twelfth century
             carries a "stamp" of popular and semi-popular origin. (6) This aspect of
             the period is important because the type of writing styles change
             ...