"Desiring to Be Known: The Diction of Glory and Fame in Old English Literature."
Dissertation Summary (pdf version)
Introduction:
Believing the study of language to be a serious and fruitful endeavor, I argue that Ælfric’s use of the word hlisa demonstrates the Christian reclamation of the theme of glory and fame. This theme has been touched upon only at the literary level in scholarship, and I am the first to offer a detailed discussion of it at both the literary and the linguistic level. By so doing, I am positing that Anglo-Saxon authors deliberately chose particular words for glory and fame based upon context. Thus, the uniqueness of my research resides in its precise analysis of three particular glory and fame words—dom, lof, and hlisa—which are connected to the faculties of thinking, speaking, and hearing. I also argue for their specific use in contexts that I define as secular (Beowulf, The Maxims), syncretic (The Wanderer, Judith), and Christian (The OE Boethius, Ælfric’s Lives of Saints). Each word is given a chapter of linguistic analysis, wherein I develop my own definition of the word, and a chapter of literary analysis, wherein I apply my definition to a reading of the word in its literary contexts. It is my conclusion that diction can be a precise purveyor of ideologies—that Ælfric’s decision to use hlisa to describe the glory and fame of his saints was not accidental, but rhetorically exact—setting his stories apart from those that were written before him.
Chapter I: The Major Theme of Glory and Fame in Old English Literature
In this first chapter I establish my position in the history of OE studies, following scholars such as Stanley B. Greenfield. His thematic analysis of OE literature provides me with the terminology needed to discuss the theme of glory and fame. I define my use of terms such as secular, syncretic, and Christian—tracing their employment by scholars (for better or for worse) since the inception of Anglo-Saxon studies. I also set forth and explicate my contextual division between secular, syncretic, and Christian texts.
Chapters II & III: Reasonable Renown: Dom and the Rational Assessment and Pronouncement of Glory and Fame
Dom is a word that has several meanings in OE. One of these meanings is as a glory and fame word. Through an analysis of every instance of dom in the corpus, I offer my own definition of it as a glory and fame word that carries a two-fold meaning: it is at once characterized by the way in which the individual is being perceived by others who pronounce a rational judgment upon his deeds and by the rational decision he makes to pursue such on his own—thus one’s glory is a product of the collaboration of outside forces (how others judge one’s deeds) and one’s own actions (how one pursues those deeds through rational—sometimes sacrificial—choice). In turn, I argue that dom is employed by Anglo-Saxon authors in the contexts of secular and syncretic heroism, but not Christian. What I present here is what appears to be a movement away from its nuances of glory and fame in later authors toward the more common use of dom as a rational legal term connected to judgment, ruling, and governance. The ramifications of this shift will be elaborated further in Chapter VI.
Chapters IV & V: Singing Praises: Lof and the Verbal Pronouncement and Recognition of Glory and Fame
These chapters look at lof: a glory and fame word often associated with praise. I define lof as the joyful verbal pronouncement (often through song) of one’s heroic deeds. Though in modern terms we often think simply of praise as statements that demonstrate our approval of one’s actions, it is shown here that this term was imbued with a greater sense of significance in OE literature. The difference between its use in poetic and prose texts is addressed, pointing out the fact that when lof appears in prose texts (e.g., in homiletic and other Biblical OE texts) it is primarily used to describe and reaffirm God and his goodness. Thus, though individual heroes are given lof in poetic texts, they rarely receiveit in prose texts.
Chapters VI & VII: Listening for Fame: Hlisa and the Aural Reception of Glory and Fame
I define hlisa as glory and fame that is heard (and thus passively received) by an individual or group. Unlike dom and lof, the occurrences of hlisa are relatively few in OE, with a low distribution between texts. Between these first two terms, there are nearly 3000 instances; whereas there are just over 200 total occurrences of hlisa in the entire corpus. What is more, its overwhelming frequency of occurrence in the works of two prominent authors—King Alfred and Ælfric—allows me to claim its import as a Christian word for glory and fame. Interestingly, though both are writing about the Christian life, these two authors use hlisa differently to represent secular (Alfred) and Christian (Ælfric) glory and fame. In the end I argue that Ælfric deliberately employs hlisa to indicate a significant point of departure from traditional secular and syncretic representations of glory and fame. By defining hlisa as a verbal expression of glory and fame, I am positing that (since it is something that is heard) it must be something that is voiced. Speaking of the term thusly, I identify two referents in the process: the one (or many) actively spreading (through a verbal medium) the goodness of the deeds of an individual, and the one (or many) passively receiving the news of said deeds (by means of aural reception). It is ultimately my argument that the nuances of hlisa are twofold, at once drawing attention to the verbal and aural way in which the glory and fame of an individual spreads. In fact, the spreading of this type of glory and fame is one of its salient characteristics—one that is explicated in Chapter VII, wherein I argue that Ælfric uniquely employs the term in a formulaic expression that tells of the spreading of his saints’ passive glory and fame throughout the surrounding lands.