Final answer:
The statement that Anglo-Saxon poetry was oral-formulaic is true. Poetry in many cultures, including Anglo-Saxon society, was a key part of oral traditions before the widespread use of literacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that poetry was oral-formulaic in the Anglo-Saxon period is true. The Germanic tribes, including the Anglo-Saxons, primarily relied on oral traditions to transmit stories, folklore, and poetry. Well-known epics that were later penned, such as the Song of Hildebrand and the Nibelungenlied, took root as oral narratives. This mode of storytelling allowed for the preservation and transmission of cultural values and histories long before the introduction of written language.
As for poetry specifically, it has often been a key part of many cultures, predating literacy. Throughout history, poetry was mostly set in metrical lines and was part of an oral tradition. Poets or bards memorized lengthy poems for recitation to audiences, which often reflected tribal identities or the essence of nomadic life. Also, before becoming more delineated in terms of form in the nineteenth century, poetry served as a broad category of fictive or rhetorical art.
In summary, Anglo-Saxon poetry's oral-formulaic character played a significant role in maintaining literature and storytelling before the advent of widespread literacy. This is illustrated by the survival of certain poems that later found their way into manuscripts but started as part of an oral heritage.