The Roles of Women in Old English Literature: A Study of Female Characters in the Exeter Book

Abstract

The thesis seeks to respond to the following research questions: What are the female roles present in the poems of the Exeter Book? What conclusions can be drawn about their socio-political roles in Anglo-Saxon society? Has the presence of female characters, as both protagonists and narrators of these poems, influenced the choice of thematic cores? Is it possible that the anonymous poems were written by women? Is it possible to find common elements between the Anglo-Saxon and Norse Traditions? To answer these questions,a textual analysis was carried out and the poems Wife’s Lament, Wulf and Eadwacer, Juliana and The Husband’s Message from the Exeter Book were examined. The conclusions drawn from the thesis are that the female figures within the code play different and important roles that allow readers to know the different facets of women in the Anglo-Saxon society, they are also the bearers of themes and issues of the women’s world. The possibility that the anonymous poems were written by women is very high but not yet confirmed. Finally, there are many elements in common between the Anglo-Saxon and the Norse traditions, showing the strong literary influence.