Angles on a Kingdom: East Anglian Identities from Bede to AElfric

The eighth to the turn of the millennium saw East Anglia have a variety of identities thrust upon it by authors who envisioned a unified England. Joseph Grossi's book argues that those authors treated East Anglia as both a hindrance and a stimulus to the development of early English national consciousness, combining close textual reading with consideration of early medieval barrow burials, coinage, border delineation, and rivalries between monastic houses.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 400 pages
\n Publication date: 05 July 2021
\n Publisher: University of Toronto Press
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From the eighth century to the turn of the millennium, East Anglia experienced a diverse range of identities imposed upon it by authors of the period who envisioned a unified England. While these writers may not be considered regional writers in the modern sense, figures such as Bede, Felix, the annalists of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, King Alfred of Wessex, Abbo of Fleury, and Ælfric of Eynsham took a keen interest in East Anglia, particularly in its potential to undermine English cultural cohesion as they envisioned it. In his book, Angles on a Kingdom, Joseph Grossi explores the multifaceted ways in which these authors treated East Anglia as both a hindrance and a stimulus to the development of early English national consciousness. By combining close textual reading with an analysis of early medieval barrow burials, coinage, border delineation, and rivalries between monastic houses, Grossi examines various forms of cultural affirmation and manipulation.

Through his examination, Grossi demonstrates that the literary metamorphoses of East Anglia over the course of roughly two and a half centuries hint at the region's recurring tensions with its neighbors. These tensions suggest that writers who sought to depict a coherent England downplayed what they deemed to be dangerous impulses emanating from the islands easternmost corner.

In conclusion, Angles on a Kingdom offers a valuable insight into the complex and multifaceted identities of East Anglia during the early medieval period. By examining the literary treatments of the region and considering various cultural indicators, Grossi sheds light on the tensions and contradictions that shaped the region's history and contributed to the development of early English national consciousness.

\n Weight: 782g\n
Dimension: 162 x 237 x 33 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781487505738\n \n