Beowulf in Around the Year in 52 Books

Mar 10, 2017 Marta rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, audio, own-ebook, library

One does not read Beowulf for pleasure; it is a learning experience. That said, it has plenty of action, sword flinging, corslet-wearing, extraordinarily strong heroes, who slay bloodthirty monsters. One can see how strongly this medieval epic inspired Tolkien (who was a major Beowulf scholar), and through him, generations of fantasy writers, movie makers, and countless sword-monster-hero role playing games. I was picturing the graphics and characters from the Skellige Isles from Witcher 3 the e ...more

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Mar 04, 2019 Katerina rated it it was amazing

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
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I have decided that this review will need to be formatted different than any of my other book reviews. Why? Because not only is Beowulf one of my most favorite literary pieces of all time (next to Paradise Lost and the Fairie Queene), it is a complex piece that has so many themes, mortif's, and symbols that I could not possibly cover in a review. In fact - I would have to write an entire 50+ page essay to truly cover every dynamic of Beowulf. So let's get into this!

THEMES: The ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
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I have decided that this review will need to be formatted different than any of my other book reviews. Why? Because not only is Beowulf one of my most favorite literary pieces of all time (next to Paradise Lost and the Fairie Queene), it is a complex piece that has so many themes, mortif's, and symbols that I could not possibly cover in a review. In fact - I would have to write an entire 50+ page essay to truly cover every dynamic of Beowulf. So let's get into this!

THEMES: There are SO MANY themes that can be found throughout this book and I can not possibly cover them all. Not only that but there are some that I probably didn't even catch and when I do a reread there will be even more. So let me just give a hint into the themes. The story teller brought in so many themes of that time period that are truly interesting: Paganism shifting to Christianity, Warrior Code vs. the Christian Doctrine, Wryd (Fate), Good vs. Evil, Loyalty, The correct way to enact vengeance, and so on. There are so many things that I could delve into with each of these themes but I figure just giving a sense of each of them will be a beginning!

SYMBOLS: No epic poem would be without symbols. You have individual characters that are symbols in themselves. Such as Beowulf (who could be debated as a symbol of Jesus), Grendel (symbol of evil/Cain), the dragon (symbol of death/sin), and many others that seem to have symbolic reasons to be in the story. You also have the symbols of the torques (gold pieces) that are a sign of loyalty and heroic deeds, and the gold that was seen as a symbol of the downfall of man. Symbols are such an important aspect that one finds throughout the epic that truly adds to the teaching of what was taking place at the time. The epic itself is a symbol of civilization and the societal code of that time frame.

TIME PLACEMENT/ ORAL STORY TELLING: This is a very different category that I need to explain. When Beowulf was first dated - it was considered to be written around 700-900 A.D. However, many readers don't realize that this is when the epic was written down, it does not give the actual date of WHEN the story was actually told. We must remember that during this time period ORAL story telling was the main way stories and legends were told. This was a huge part of bringing together the community and creating an understanding for the morals of society. So in actuality Beowulf is much older than the date of when it was put into a physical form.

There is so much I could say about Beowulf and never truly capture the entire essence of the epic. However, I can tell you that it holds such a special place in my heart and I will most likely reread this epic poem until I physically can not read anymore. I definitely recommend this version by Seamus Heaney, as he does a wonderful job at not only the translations but also at providing key notes so the readers understands what is truly going on. ...more

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