Verger

2868 — -Cambridge University Press 1994-. First edition. Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England 8. xiii314 pages with index. Cloth. Fine in dustjacket. 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 emphasized in particular his special debt to the specific techniques of Old English vernacular verse. The Poetic Art of Aldhelm. 052145090x -Cambridge University Press, 1994- hardcover