User:Tjmark1/sandbox

The text tells the story of the life of King Edward the Confessor. It is written from the perspective of an anonymous author (hereafter referred to as the Anonymous) who receives inspiration from his Muse. The text is mostly Latin prose, but it is interspersed with bits of poetry, which the Muse tells the Anonymous to include so that his tale is not tiresome. The story goes from the Danish invasion and King Cnut up until the death of Edward, speaking mostly in a historical fashion, and then it backtracks and returns to Edward’s life, telling of the miracles he performed and his saintliness. Besides Edward himself, the main character of the story (particularly the historical part) is his wife, Edith of Wessex. The Anonymous explicitly states that he desires to write praise to Edith, and the Muse tells him also to write of the goodness of Edith’s father, Earl Godwin, and his family. The Anonymous obeys this injunction vigorously throughout the text. It may be named The Life of King Edward Who Rests at Westminster, but its message runs much deeper than its title suggests.