The Wanderer
Publication Date: April 16, 2010
Chapter: English Literature During The Middle Ages
Characters in old English literature have a tendency to talk to themselves - a lot. In the case of "The Wanderer," the entire poem is simply a long, one-sided conversation.
Of course, we all know where the horse in question is - Helm's Deep! Indeed, Tolkien totally jacked parts of this poem for use in "The Two Towers," and said jacking later made the leap to film (complete with stirring underscore). Granted, in Tolkien's defense, he really only ripped off the first line about the horse and rider. Given the nature of Rohan, I suspect he couldn't resist.
Actually, if I've learned nothing else from reading the Norton Anthology of English Literature, it's that Tolkien mined the Old English canon like a prospector in the friggin' gold rush. But hey, more power to him - he arguably improved upon his source material.
Year: c. 900 • Info: Anglo-Saxons.net • Info: Wikipedia
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About The Comic
Lit Brick is a comic started by Jodie Troutman in an effort to read the entire Norton Anthology of English Literature. Having eventually succeeded in that goal, it now features comics about all manner of random literature. For more of Jodie's work, visit longtalljodie.com!
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