The Anglo-Saxon Chancery: The History, Language and Production of Anglo-Saxon Charters from Alfred to Edgar

Abstract

The principal aim of this book is to assess Anglo-Saxon charters from a 'literary' point of view. In the ninth century, a new and highly complex Latin style started to appear in Anglo-Saxon charters: rather than writing traditional, straightforward legal language, the authors of these documents turned to their Anglo-Saxon literary heritage for inspiration, and began to fill their charters with complex and archaic vocabulary, extensive metaphors and lurid imagery. Dr Snook offers a thorough discussion of why and how this seemingly inappropriate style was adopted, throwing light on a range of broader issues, including the place of the documents in the wider intellectual history of tenth-century England, and their role in promoting the ideologies of different Anglo-Saxon kings. Benjamin Snook gained his doctorate from Cambridge University

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