English 114- Paper #1 6/7/04 A Historical View of Beowulf and Sir Gawain When reading English literature, it is important to have some knowledge of the history of the text and to become familiar with some of the historical aspects alluding to its content. In order to exemplify my point, I have...

Beowulf SocietyThe earliest known manuscript of Beowulf is thought to have been written in thetenth century, however, the poem had most likely been told as an oral tradition forcenturies before that. In fact, the poem's events date back to the sixth century. However,because there is only one manus...

When a culture constantly evolves and changes it truly is a healthy culture indeed. Since the beginnings of the Pagan warriors to the skilled and accomplished craftsmen of the Renaissance, the European world was drastically transformed. The literature of every epoch indicates the profound cultural i...

The Middle Ages covers roughly a thousand years, from approximately 400 to 1500 and the term generally refers to the changes that the European society experienced during these years. Many agree that there was not just one medieval civilization, but many. These civilizations are related to e...

Knighthood: Serious Training, Serious WeaponsThe old adage goes "work, before play," but as a medieval knight, the young knight was required to "play" before he was able to "work." Tournaments were a major component of a knight's training and were used as a means by which young knights could acquir...

The Treasure of Sutton Hoo The time period between 500-950 is often referred to as the Dark Ages. This time period is believed by most to be a time of ignorance and lack of prosperity.(Asimov 85-88) These ideas are generated from a number of artifacts found in a couple of excavations that have ...

A culture that evolves and changes through time is a healthy culture indeed. From the early pagan warriors to the artisans of the Renaissance, the European world dramatically reformed. The literature of each era indicates the profound cultural innovations. The Anglo-Saxon's arguably most important l...