A textual and literary study of the Old English Exodus

Hammer, Elisabeth Minna (1979) A textual and literary study of the Old English Exodus. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The main findings fall into two categories, that of “structure” and that of “spiritual symbolism.” – After having shown that the poem is composed of distinct units to which appropriate titles could be given, I have explored John Lyerle’s idea of “interlace structure,” applying it for the first to Exodus. The concept of “interlace” sheds new light on the art of variation which forms part of the multi-stranded verbal braids. – Aspects of spiritual symbolism have been discussed under the headings “Time and place,” “The Journey as a way of life,” “Nautical images and their significance,” “The exile,” “Water and blood and the idea of baptism,” “Israel and the Christian soldier,” “Songs, treasure, and the reward in heaven,” “Moses and Christ,” and “The Egyptians and the powers of darkness.” Although all these aspects have been investigated before, new material to support or to reject certain views has been presented. It could be shown that images and phrases used to describe the Egyptians correspond to those used in the Old English Genesis to describe the fallen angels. – In the Appendix a detailed investigation of small capitals and accents is presented. The tentative conclusion has been drawn that small capitals were used as punctuation marks and that accents served various purposes but were mainly used on long vowels. Thornley’s theory that accents were inserted to indicate inflections of the voice within a specific chant is rejected.

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