Literature SIG – talk by visiting fellow Dr Kousuke Kaita
Join the Literature Special Interest Group for their first meeting of the Lent Term. There will be a talk by visiting fellow Dr Kousuke Kaita on “The Lord’s Prayer in West Germanic Poems.” This will be followed by an optional lunch in the dining hall.
Abstract: The Lord’s Prayer, a fundamental Christian prayer based on Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4, is frequently recited. This is also true in medieval West Germanic texts. Old English (OE, circa 700–1100) preserves three versions: (i) The Lord’s Prayer I, (ii) The Lord’s Prayer II, and(iii) The Lord’s Prayer III. They are found in the following manuscripts (i) Exeter, Cathedral Library 3501; (ii) Cambridge, Corpus Christi College 201; and (iii) Oxford, Bodleian Library, Junius 121. While the prayers share the same theme, their verse lengths differ. Old High German (OHG, circa 750–1100) and Old Saxon (OS, circa 800–1100) texts also mention the Lord’s Prayer in vernacular works such as Otfrid’s Evangelienbuch, Murbacher Hymnen, and Heliand. This study offers a cross-linguistic overview of how common Christian themes are presented in OE, OHG, and OS. The selected texts are analysed in terms of their poetic style, vocabulary, and diction with a focus on the function of citations within each context. It is argued that these texts aim to familiarise audiences with the vernacular, often alongside the original Latin version.
Dr Kousuke Kaita specialises in English linguistics, the history of English, and Germanic philology. His current research interests include exhortative speech structures in Germanic languages: how the addressor proposes the addressee(s) to take certain desirable actions. Particular focus is on how Christian stories, such as Judgement Day or the Lord’s Prayer, are intertwined to create effective exhortative speeches. His full bio can be found here.
Please also save the date for the second meeting this term on Thursday, 6 March (also at 11am) when visiting fellow Dr Yu Onuma will be speaking to us about “How to Write a Medieval Travel Narrative.”