9th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Time: 11:00
Room: 312
Presenter(s): Jordan Upton
Title: Exile and Contemplation in "The Wanderer" and "The Seafarer"
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Elizabeth Rambo , English

"The Wanderer" and "The Seafarer" are two ancient and highly influential Old English poems contained in the Exeter Book, thought to have been written before the tenth century. These works are called elegies for their somber and reflective nature. "The Seafarer" and "The Wanderer" each follow a narrator who ponders his life spent, which in turn, forces him to question grander issues such as the world at large and the afterlife. In these poems the themes of exile, isolation, and loss are prevalent throughout, yet the narrators' pain is ultimately endurable due to their unwavering and steadfast faith in God.