Customer Reviews

An Invitation to Old English and Anglo-Saxon England

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If you're fascinated by English literature and language in general, as I was, but intimidated by the obscure vocabulary and inflections of "Old Anguish," this is your book. It's not a "for Dummies" manual, but it's more reader-friendly than a college text. It introduces all the fundamentals of the language, along with an overview of the culture that produced the tongue. It overlaps the more formal text, "Guide to Old English" (by Mitchell & Robinson) in some places word for word, but "Invitation" is much more chatty and fun. Mitchell's love for Old English is infectious, as is his conviction that it's not as hard to learn as it looks. By the time I was finished, I had a good beginner's command of Old English and a thirst to learn more.

As a student of various languages, but a newcomer to the study of Old English, I found this book an unintimidating but, nevertheless, comprehensive and in-depth introduction to the language. Mr. Mitchell begins by tracing the origins of our erstwhile obscure tongue, which has attained the status of a latter-day Latin in terms of its widespread use by native and non-native speakers alike in numerous environments. Unfortunately, many or most native speakers of English have little or no knowledge of the language in its earlier forms. I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to enrich his own knowledge of the language through the study of its roots. It is a study not only of language, but history as well, a point which Mr. Mitchell highlights in such a way as to make this "dead" language come alive. The author grabs the attention of the reader from the first page, more than I thought possible in a didactic book which, of necessity, must teach the rudimentary elements of grammar, and manages to keep it even through the introduction of paradigms. This is in part due to his success in introducing these paradigms in the context of the language in use, as opposed to in uninterrupted pages of dry, grammatical tables which I have found in many other books. Already in the foreword, Mr. Mitchell has begun to give the reader a feel for the language by quoting simple passages and providing literal translations for them. An excellent introduction, and invitation, to a fascinating language, foreign and yet strangely familiar.

It's been hard work, but I've put in some elbow grease and made it.

A very readable introduction to Old English language, culture, art, and society. Nearly every aspect of Anglo-Saxon life is touched on, supported with carefully cited sources (usually primary), and a good selection of illustrations. The author's sincere passion for Old English always comes through, and he's very good about encouraging the student. When things are going to be a little hard, you're warned that you've got to just slog through it, and you are guided down the path.

Another nice thing about this book that should be pointed out is that it has a lot to offer people who aren't especially interested in learning Old English, but instead more engaged by the culture and life of the Anglo-Saxon people. Mitchell's expositions are fascinating and feature copious examples from both academic literature and primary sources. You don't need to know a lick of Old English to learn a lot from this book!

I would have appreciated a few touches, however. My primary complaint is that the translations often weren't literal enough. While this made them readable, I had to very frequently second-guess the translations while trying my hand at my own, and would have liked more chances to test my work directly to be sure I was on track. I'm not convinced that, especially in the discussions of language directly, I wouldn't have had an easier time with klutzier and more literal examples.

I'd also like to see all-color plates, in a future edition.

All said and done, this was an immensly satisfying process-- I'm not adept at Old English (one never learns a language all at once anyway, and let's face it: how on Earth do you get any practice if you're not in school? Nevermind what the Masters at Oxford do deciding just /how/ to inflect a long-dead tongue), but with every increase in comprehension I felt my understanding of both modern English and German considerably enhanced.

Above all, this was for me-- for now a hobbyist-- exactly the thing I wanted for some self-study. It might be that for you, too. I assure you that the first time you get a snip from Beowulf just right, it will put a big smile in your heart.

I really like the idea behind this textbook. Bruce Mitchell, the foremost pedagogue of Old English, has written some very serious textbooks that push students very hard and assume a familiarity with Latin and Greek and access to a university library full of other resources. But with AN INVITATION TO OLD ENGLISH & ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND, Mitchell offers a book that can serve as a taste of Old English to people who aren't ready to fully commit themselves to study, and which is packed with interesting historical detail. Mitchell first gives some differences between Old English and Modern English. He then gives a very basic sketch of case endings and verbs. This forms a bare minimum so that he can give little selections of Old English texts (with generous glossing) which the student can manage to read through, using what they know from Modern English and the glossary at the back of the book. It's fun to feel like you know something of a language even when you don't have much of a clue about grammatical paradigms. Throughout the book, Mitchell alternates readings with commentary that gives a general picture of life in early medieval England, with much interesting archaeological data. All genres are represented, from history to epic poetry.

My only criticism of the book is that it is too big. Readers who would like just a small trial introduction to Old English should get something small and much less expensive than a general textbook to the language.

This book is classified, I suppose, as an introductory text for the study of Old English. It certainly is that, starting with chapters on spelling, pronunciation, and the like.

At the same time, this book is so much more. Mitchell weaves in chapters on history, archaeology, culture, and literature. Most impressive, he liberally sprinkles Old English texts into these chapters - so, in the middle of the chapter on archaeology he will give you a verse or two from the _Dream of the Rood_.

He's chosen those texts well not just for substance but for ease of reading. These are simple texts that the student will be able to read by the time she comes across them. This approach is highly motivating as the student is learning about Anglo-Saxon England in part by reading Old English texts - *in an introductory book* !

The book concludes with several dozen well-annotated texts and a serviceable dictionary, as found in more conventional language texts. The cultural chapters and the texts complement each other well.

I had studied Old English before finding this book, and I now find it a wonderful refresher whenever I want to return to the language for pleasure. I can't say enough good things about it.

Unstuffy and non-intimidating.
Makes "Old Anguish" pleasant to take in - especially for a beginner like me.
I like Mitchell's advice to learn by "absorbtion" rather than by "parrot learning."
Each topic / sub topic has a paragragh number so it's easy to keep track of progress.