The Matter of England

SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1 The poem Beowulf has long been considered one of the single most important literary works of England because of the important place it holds in English literary history . It is suggested that Beowulf could be considered The Matter of England , despite being a story about Scandinavians , because of its historical importance but also because of why it is so important to English culture and history . An overview of the history of Beowulf 's origins is crucial to this understanding . Beowulf is an epic poem that is written in

Old English and is the major Anglo-Saxon work that still survives . It has become a very important piece of work in English literature

The author of the poem is unknown , but being a heroic tale it is most likely that the story itself had been around in Anglo-Saxon history as an oral tale that would have been passed down from one generation to another and passed along throughout England by those who told these tales , either by bards or simply from parent to child , or so on . The author was most likely someone who had heard the story itself and wrote it down to preserve it years later from the time it was first circulated around England . It was likely written down in 700 BC approximately , and the only surviving manuscript was written approximately 300 years later . Unlike ancient Greece or Rome , England does not have a national mythology and this is why this poem has become known as The Matter of England . It has taken the place of an English mythology and has contributed to the national identity of England by becoming the national epic , the story that defines their Anglo-Saxon heritage because there is so little in terms of literature from that time period in their history It has influenced the origins of English literature because other famous British authors and novels have been inspired by the story of Beowulf especially the literary elements of slaying dragons and monsters , both of which can be seen in later British traditional stories . Beowulf is a steadfast aspect of British culture and truly is A Matter of England...