Old English wisdom poetry.

Abstract

The chapter examines the kinds of wisdom and knowledge to be found in Old English wisdom poetry, and the kinds of aesthetic pleasure offered by works in this genre. Using the 'Old English Rune Poem' and 'Maxims II' as the main focal points but ranging across the genre as a whole, it discusses issues of patterning and structure, and re-examines the place of sapiential utterance in the so-called Old English elegies.