Origins
Although the author of Andreas is unknown, there are more general theories concerning its origins. Andreas is the first poem in the Vercelli Book, and is followed by a poem entitled The Fates of the Apostles, written by Cynewulf. Since both works have similar subjects, and because of their proximity in the Vercelli book, they were at first thought to be written by the same author. Andreas is often tied to Cynewulf because of its religious theme; although the exact identity of Cynewulf is unknown, all of the proposed identities were religious figures of the late 8th to early 10th centuries. This clearly ties to Andreas' religious theme, and leads scholars to make a connection between the two. Andreas is included in a group of twelve poems, often referred to as "the Cynewulf group". Still, only four poems are truly attributed to Cynewulf, which are those that are directly marked with runic symbols of his name. Other scholars argue that Andreas may have been written by a disciple of Cynewulf, which would explain the parallels between the two works. However, still other researchers argue that they are different authors because of the drastic differences in the writing style. Some scholars even deduce that Andreas was inspired by Beowulf, as there are many likenesses between the two works in style, language, and theme.
Read more about this topic: Andreas (poem)
Famous quotes containing the word origins:
“Grown onto every inch of plate, except
Where the hinges let it move, were living things,
Barnacles, mussels, water weeds—and one
Blue bit of polished glass, glued there by time:
The origins of art.”
—Howard Moss (b. 1922)
“The settlement of America had its origins in the unsettlement of Europe. America came into existence when the European was already so distant from the ancient ideas and ways of his birthplace that the whole span of the Atlantic did not widen the gulf.”
—Lewis Mumford (1895–1990)
“The origins of clothing are not practical. They are mystical and erotic. The primitive man in the wolf-pelt was not keeping dry; he was saying: “Look what I killed. Aren’t I the best?””
—Katharine Hamnett (b. 1948)