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The Idea of Anglo-Saxon England 1066-1901

Remembering, Forgetting, Deciphering, and Renewing the Past

John D Niles author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:John Wiley & Sons Inc

Published:25th Sep '15

Should be back in stock very soon

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The Idea of Anglo-Saxon England 1066-1901 cover

  • The Idea of Anglo Saxon England, 1066-1901 presents the first systematic review of the ways in which Anglo-Saxon studies have evolved from their beginnings to the twentieth century
  • Tells the story of how the idea of Anglo-Saxon England evolved from the Anglo-Saxons themselves to the Victorians, serving as a myth of origins for the English people, their language, and some of their most cherished institutions
  • Combines original research with established scholarship to reveal how current conceptions of English identity might be very different if it were not for the discovery – and invention – of the Anglo-Saxon past
  • Reveals how documents dating from the Anglo-Saxon era have greatly influenced modern attitudes toward nationhood, race, religious practice, and constitutional liberties
  • Includes more than fifty images of manuscripts, early printed books, paintings, sculptures, and major historians of the era

"A cogent and well-written overview of the major authors, artists, scholars, and books that give us our current views of Anglo Saxon England. As such, it is a book worth recommending to colleagues who study later periods. It is also a wonderful introduction to Anglo-Saxonism. Niles is to be congratulated on a welcome and thorough survey."
—Stephen Harris, University of Massachusetts, Modern Philology

"One of the highlights of The Idea of Anglo-Saxon England is its well-written, entertaining style. Throughout, Niles displays a keen eye for detail, often highlighting anecdotal, amusing and occasionally shocking facts."
—Thijs Porck, 2016, Review AMSTERDAMER BEITRÄGE ZUR ÄLTEREN GERMANISTIK

"The wealth of subject knowledge across a millenium is encycolopaedic; the prose is fresh, witty, easy to read but never casual, and wears its deep learning lightly. In The Idea of Anglo-Saxon England Niles has delivered what will surely be regarded as the must-cite landmark publication for next few decades." (The Review of English Studies Advance Access, 2016)

ISBN: 9781118943328

Dimensions: 236mm x 160mm x 25mm

Weight: 703g

448 pages