bede and his world revisited: anglo saxon and celtic britain

This course is a continuation of ‘Bede and Cultural life in Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Britain.’ It will present a more in-depth study of the world of the the Venerable Bede, the ‘father of English history’ and one of the most prolific and influential writers of the early Middle Ages. It will concentrate on his varied achievements as a writer, studying his work as an educationist, historian of both official history and daily life, and poet. The course will also examine the important subject of the inter-action between the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic society, and the competing claims to supremacy of each society, The artistic achievement of the golden age of Northumbria (and Britain in general), in the areas of architecture, manuscript illumination, sculpture and music, during the later 7th and early 8th centuries, will also be examined in depth.

Content

Bede – Introduction
- His Personal life and Education
- His Role as teacher
- His Educational Writings I

Bede – the Educator
- The Daily life of the monastic classroom and community
- The Pace and psychology of monastic Learning
- Bede’s Educational Writings II

Bede as official historian
- The Official History of the English Church and People
- The Problem with the Celts and their history
- Bede’s official synthesis

Bede and personal history
- Bede’s own community at Wearmouth and Jarrow
- His Lives of the Abbots of his own community
- His personal perspective in these writings

Bede and Cuthbert
- Cuthbert – the two versions of his life
- Cuthbert as exemplar
- Bede’s view of Cuthbert

Bede as poet
- Bede’s poems – an overview
- His artistic achievement as poet
- His poetic techniques

Architecture, sculpture, manuscript illumination
- Anglo-Saxon architecture
- Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Sculpture
- Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Manuscript Illumination

Bede and Gregorian Chant
- The Origins and Development of Gregorian Chant
- The Introduction of Gregorian Chant to Britain and its dissemination
- Bede’s Knowledge of Chant
- The Characteristics of Gregorian Chant