Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-216) and index
Introduction: defining the natural world -- Defining and confining humanity -- Constructing society: outside and inside, powerlessness and control -- Standing outside, standing out: defining the individual -- Representing God; power in and against nature -- Enclosing the natural world: knowledge and writing -- Conclusion
This book examines descriptions of the natural world in a wide range of Old English poetry. Jennifer Neville describes the physical conditions experienced by the Anglo-Saxons - the animals, diseases, landscapes, seas and weather with which they had to contend. She argues that poetic descriptions of these elements were not a reflection of the existing physical conditions but a literary device used by Anglo-Saxons to define more important issues: the state of humanity, the creation and maintenance of society, the power of individuals, the relationship between God and creation, and the power of writing to control information
