In the "Adam of the Road" study guide, "Havelok the Dane" is described as the second oldest surviving romance written in English. I was wondering what is the oldest? I can't find that in an internet search. Thanks.
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Re: Havelok the Dane
Hi Stephanie,
It appears to be The Geste of King Horn or just King Horn. Here is the wikipedia page for it, although it does not refer to it as the earliest English-language romance. It does date from mid-thirteenth century, earlier than Havelok the Dane (late thirteenth century).
This is a link to The Yale Companion to Chaucer, which, in good academic style, qualifies it as "perhaps" the oldest.
This is a public domain text entitled A Short History of English Literature , so, were you to be so inclined, you could find out a bit more (The Companion to Chaucer is just a preview). The middle paragraph calls it the earliest.
Hope this helps! -
Re: Havelok the Dane
Jacob,
Very interesting, thanks for the information.
StephanieComment
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