英国文学源远流长，经历了长期、复杂的发展演变过程。口头形式的诗歌文学代代相传，后来才有了书面形式。其中，《贝奥武夫》和宗教诗歌是必须要掌握的两个要点。之后，在8世纪，盎格鲁-撒克逊散文应运而生。

我们的题目是：What are the main characteristics of Anglo-Saxon literature?

依据逻辑顺序，我们可以这样回答：

Anglo-Saxon literature is almost exlusivly a verse literature in oral form. It could be passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. Its creators for the most part are unknown. It was only given a written form long after its composition. There are two groups of English Poetry in Anglo-Saxon period. The first group was the pagan poetry represented by "Beowulf". It is the oldest poem on the English language, and the most important specimen of Anglo-Saxon literature, and also the oldest surviving epic in the English language. The second group was the religous poetry represented by the works of Caedmon and Cynewulf.

In the 8th century, Anglo-Saxon prose appeared. The famous prose writers of that perild were Venerable Bede and Alfred the Great.