A Handbook of Anglo–Saxon Studies

This collection of new and original essays explores the relationship between contemporary critical theory and the study of Anglo–Saxon England. Core terminology familiar from critical theory, such as ‘ethnicity’, ‘gender’, and ‘agency’, provides a thematic structure in which fresh and revealing perspectives on Anglo–Saxon England come to light. Each essay takes one of these terms as its starting point, offering a brief overview of the term and its use in Anglo–Saxon studies before deploying it as a critical matrix for its own investigation of the Anglo–Saxon period. The collection also explores the question of what contribution Anglo–Saxonists can make to critical theory, and provides new directions for the future of the field.

List of Figures vii Notes on Contributors ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 Jacqueline Stodnick and Rene´e R. Trilling 1 Borders 9 Elaine Treharne 2 Disability 23 Christina Lee 3 Gender 39 Stacy S. Klein 4 Hegemony 55 Robin Norris 5 Historicism 69 Scott Thompson Smith 6 Law and Justice 85 Andrew Rabin 7 Literacy 99 R. M. Liuzza 8 Masculinity 115 D. M. Hadley 9 Media 133 Martin K. Foys 10 Postcolonial 149 Catherine E. Karkov 11 Race and Ethnicity 165 Stephen Harris 12 Sex and Sexuality 181 Carol Braun Pasternack 13 Space and Place 197 Andrew Scheil 14 Time 215 Kathleen Davis 15 Violence 235 Mary Louise Fellows 16 Visual Culture 251 Benjamin C. Withers 17 Women 265 Helene Scheck and Virginia Blanton 18 Writing 281 E. J. Christie Index 295

Jacqueline Stodnick is Associate Professor of English at the University of Texas at Arlington, USA, where she teaches the history of the English language, Old English, and the history of British literature.  She has published articles on lists, the Anglo–Saxon Chronicle, and hagiography, focusing in particular on English cultural identity. Her current work explores Anglo–Saxon notions of the body. Renée R. Trilling is Associate Professor of English at the University of Illinois, USA.  She is the author of The Aesthetics of Nostalgia: Historical Representation in Old English Verse (2009), as well as articles on Beowulf, Wulfstan the Homilist, and Anglo–Saxon historiography.  Her current work draws on recent trends in neuroscience and related fields to explore the role of materiality in Anglo–Saxon notions of subjectivity.

“The essays are written in a consistently clear and informative manner that will engage students and scholars alike.  Summing Up.  Highly recommended.  Upper–division undergraduates through faculty.”  ( Choice , 1 September 2013)