Prose

"The well-made book is the book in which the subject and the form coincide and are indistinguishable - the book in which the matter is all used up in the form, in which the form expresses all the matter".

Old English Prose

It is well known that a good prose style is always the result of the efforts made by generations of writers. You may find that Old English prose lacks lucidity, simplicity and easy flow. It appears clumsy and unwieldy. Still we may see that there are a few passages containing an impassioned prose of real merit. The Anglo-Saxons brought with them from their continental homeland a highly developed tradition of poetry, but Anglo-Saxon prose does not begin much before the end of the ninth century. I.A. Sheard rightly observes, "The case was different with prose. There we see the writer obviously struggling with a strange and difficult medium. He had trouble not only with accidence and syntax but also with meaning and often he found it difficult to express himself with words available to him. This, however, was but a temporary phase, for Old English was an extremely flexible language." The Anglo-Saxon invaders of Britain brought with them their tradition of poetry, but they passed no literary prose tradition. Hence it is evident that Old English prose developed later than poetry.

It was King Alfred (871-901) who paved the way for the growth of English prose. And there is no wonder in calling him 'the father of English prose'. Latin was the language of the Christian Church and it was the medium for education. Thus Latin hindered the development of English prose. The Danish invasions too were catastrophic to the progress of English literature. Besides, the Danes burned the splendid libraries. Alfred realised that Englishmen must be made aware of their political unity as Englishmen: for only a united people could repulse the Danish onslaughts. He also realised that the people must be educated, and they could be properly educated only through the mother-tongue. So he translated some popular Latin books into English. Sometimes he translated word for word, sometimes freely and sometimes he introduced his own passages by way of explanation or expansion. He also superintended the translation of much of Bede's Ecclesiastical History, and adapted the philosophy of Boethius for common use. His translations include Pastoral Care of Pope Gregory, the History of the World of Orasius, Consolation of Philosophy of Boethius, and the Solioques of St. Augustine. Alfred's style is not polished; it is a simple and straightforward style, and it gives one the feeling that he was an artist of considerable natural ability.

Wessex continued to hold its own in literary matters until the coming of the Normans. The North never recovered from the ravishment of the Danes. The reign of Alfred fostered the growth of English prose. The most notable of Anglo-Saxon prose writers was AElfric, abbot of Eynsham. His Catholic Homilies, two series of sermons, and the Lives of the Saints and translations from the Scripture are written in a flowing and vigorous style, and their careful balance and prose rhythm display a fine virtuosity. AElfric also translated into English the first seven books of the Old Testament for which he is called the first English Bible translator.

AElfric's contemporary, Wulfstan, the Archbishop of York, has a fiery eloquence. His famous Sermon to the English paints a vivid picture of horrors brought about by the Danish invasions in a style full of force and vigour, repetition of ideas and alliteration. It is fluent and powerful and reveals Wulftan to be a brilliant preacher.

During the reign of Alfred the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle came into existence. It is, perhaps, not the work of Alfred, but it owes much to his inspiration. This is the most important landmark of Old English prose. It began before Alfred's time as casual jottings made by monks and continued beyond the Norman Conquest. It is the most important source for the history of England up to the Norman Conquest.