The Poetic Art of Aldhelm: Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England 8 by Andy Orchard.

First Edition hardcover with dust jacket published by Cambridge University Press 1994

Aldhelm of Malmesbury has been described as the "first English man of letters". He was the first Germanic author to compose extensively in Latin metrical verse, and his Latin works were amongst the most influential in Anglo-Saxon England. Aldhelm can also be considered the best-read of Anglo-Saxon poets, in both senses of the phrase: he read most and was most read.

In this first book-length study of Aldhelm's poetic art Andy Orchard traces the sources and models for Aldhelm's idiosyncratic style, as well as the nature and extent of his influence on later Anglo-Latin verse. Aldhelm's innovations in Latin verse technique are emphasised, in particular his special debt to the specific techniques of Old English vernacular verse.

Detailed appendixes summarize examples of Aldhelm's borrowed diction and his influence on later poets. A final appendix offers a statistical survey of the most significant Anglo-Latin verse, providing a useful basis for comparison of the techniques of individual authors.

Category: History