Anglo-Saxon Attitudes: A Short Introduction to Anglo-Saxonism

This is not a book about the Anglo-Saxons, but a book about books about Anglo-Saxons. It describes the academic discipline of Anglo-Saxonism; the methods of study used; the underlying assumptions; and the uses to which it has been put.

Methods and motives have changed over time but right from the start there have been the constant themes of Anglo-Saxon democracy and the rights of the freeborn Englishman. They have given rise to ideas and perceptions that have greatly influenced the development of English society and political history - e.g. the Peasants Revolt and the English Civil War. The idea of an early Anglo-Saxon democracy inspired the Levellers and is at the core of the English radical tradition and modern English nationalism. It also inspired the American revolutionaries, in particular Thomas Jefferson.