Anonymous, The Phoenix

David Clark (The University of Leicester)

Ed. by Richard William Dance, University of Cambridge
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.01: English Writing and Culture: Old English, 500-1066.
Vol. editors: Richard William Dance (University of Cambridge), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 970 - c. 990

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poem collection

Resources

The Phoenix is an Old English poem comprising 677 lines and found on folios 55b-65b of The Exeter Book, a verse anthology containing one hundred riddles and about thirty other texts copied c. 970-990 and preserved in Chapter Library of Exeter Cathedral since its donation by Leofric, first Bishop of Exeter (d. c. 1072). It follows the three Christ poems, Guthlac A and B, and Azarias, and deals with similar concerns such as the nature of Christ, the experience of the individual Christian, and the themes of salvation, judgement, and eternity. The question of how individual poems relate to each other in the compilation has caused much debate and shows no sign of ceasing to do so.

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1166 words

Citation: Clark, David. "The Phoenix". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 January 2010 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7379, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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