Introduction to Old English (online)

Four-week course for beginners.
Online. Wednesdays: 12, 19, 26 February and 5 March 2025. 18.00 – 19.30.

Join us for a four-week online introductory course to Old English language and literature. Explore Old English in its cultural context and develop skills in analysing and drawing meaning from set texts through accessible exercises and close reading.  

Through sessions on the development of medieval English language and the form and structure of Old English poetry, you’ll gain a sense of the richness of this earliest of English literature – both its enduring strangeness and its flashes of familiarity. Then, turn to the manuscripts in which these texts are preserved and encounter some of the treasures of the Library’s vast collection. The course finishes with a session on runes and riddles, inviting you to bring your knowledge of Old English to solving some of the period’s most persistent literary mysteries.

Read the full course outline to see details about the course including practical information and the full weekly programme. No previous skills or knowledge is required.

Sessions will take place via Microsoft Teams and you will be sent a joining link prior to the first session. Your contact information will be used to share session recordings and course materials via Teams.

Tutors

Dr Victoria Symons is a medievalist specialising in Old English literature, medical practices and runic writing. She holds an honorary lectureship at University College London, having taught Old and Middle English language and literature for more than a decade at a variety of institutions. She is the author and editor of books including The Tale of Beowulf (2022), Runes and Roman Letters in Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts (2017) and Stasis in the Medieval West (2017). Her wider publications include numerous articles, chapters, translations and blogposts for both academic and general audiences, with notable ventures ranging from co-editing The Riddle Ages blog to working on a Beowulf-inspired videogame project. Although her first love will always be runes, her current research centres on childbirth and domestic remedies in both Old and Middle English contexts.  

Dr Mary Wellesley is an Associate Fellow of the Institute of Historical Research and an Associate Member of Oxford University’s English Faculty. After completing her PhD, she worked in the British Library’s department of Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts. Her first book, Hidden Hands: the Lives of Manuscripts and Their Makers was published by Quercus in the UK in October 2021, and by Basic Books in the US as The Gilded Page: The Secret Lives of Manuscripts at the same time. It was chosen as one of the history books of the year by the Sunday Times and BBC History Magazine. Alongside her academic publications, Mary writes widely for a general audience and is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books and the New York Review of Books, amongst others. She is the co-host of three hit podcast series on medieval literature produced by the London Review of Books.