Essay Archive - The Literary Contributions of King Alfred the Great
The Literary Contributions of King Alfred the Great
Our understanding of the literary achievements of King Alfred
depend very much upon what we believe about his early education. If we are
content to accept the stories of Asser, the famous biographer of Alfred,
that he reached his twelfth birthday before he learned to read (Keynes 75),
then we must reckon his literary career as a phenomenon which can only be
described, not explained. Or, if that is not satisfactory, we may compare
him in his adult life to his grandfather's (Egbert) contemporary Charles
the Bald (grandson of Charlemange), who, being illi....
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