Understanding Great Literature - Understanding Beowulf

Understanding Great Literature

by Thomas Streissguth

The Old English poem Beowulf describes a world of kings, knights, demons, and epic battles between the forces of good and evil. Through vivid descriptions of Germanic society, the anonymous Beowulf poet also describes the complex, often-violent world of a people still making the transition from paganism to Christianity. This useful and comprehensive volume offers students of the poem a guide to the history of its creation, as well as a summary of its plot, characters, and principal themes.

96 pages, Hardcover

First published October 17, 2003

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a good enough resource on Beowulf that I have ordered a copy to store alongside our illustrated Seamus Heaney edition of the poem. Hopefully, someday my granddaughter will find it useful, too. And, in the meantime, maybe my son, if he ever finds time for reading something besides books to her and about technology/business!

[Kbord · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short, hardcover book about Beowulf would be a good introduction, companion to a first-time reader, or general review for someone who hasn't read Beowulf in a long time. I imagine a middle school/jr. high school or high school student studying early English literature might want to take a look at it.

The book explains the plot (and a few subplots) of Beowulf, then goes more in-depth into relevant history, the characters, themes, and so forth. It's sort of like a Cliffs Notes or Spark Notes. There are a couple of useful maps and a picture of a 7th-Century Viking helmet that's nifty; the rest of the pictures aren't all that helpful.