is an Old English poem comprising 677 lines and found on folios 55b-65b of The Exeter Book, a verse anthology containing one hundred riddles and about thirty other texts copied c. 970-990 and preserved in Chapter Library of Exeter Cathedral since its donation by Leofric, first Bishop of Exeter (d. c. 1072). It follows the three

poems,

and

, and

, and deals with similar concerns such as the nature of Christ, the experience of the individual Christian, and the themes of salvation, judgement, and eternity. The question of how individual poems relate to each other in the compilation has caused much debate and shows no sign of ceasing to do so.

The Phoenix itself has caused less controversy and indeed has attracted interest principally for the aesthetic

1166 words

Citation: Clark, David. "The Phoenix". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 January 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7379, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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