Beowulf
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Can someone explain this?
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It's an artful interweaving by the poet. Beowulf's account to Hygelac is telling him what we know; but while he was at Hrothgar's court Beowulf was noticing other things. It didn't suit the poet to tell them then, but now, that note of future conflict fits his themes. This is a quick answer, but - that poet has his reasons. He does have strange narrative strategies, but in a cause. I might say to people, sit back and trust him; he tells you what he wants to tell you when he thinks you need to know.
At times these bits of other stories or future glimpses are dissonant intrusions, into a cheery present, that ruin the mood like an axe. It adds up to a great effect over the whole of the poem, I feel.
It is a point that the original audience knew these stories... we guess, anyhow.
Okay that makes sense.I suppose I find it additionally irritating because it's like talking to someone who keeps going on wild tangents instead of telling you the story.
I think I got irritated a lot by the constant repetition. Beowulf was constantly retelling his story to everyone.
Veronica wrote: "I think I got irritated a lot by the constant repetition. Beowulf was constantly retelling his story to everyone."
That's part of Beowulf's character: the boasting, but not in the pejorative sense of the word boasting.
That's part of Beowulf's character: the boasting, but not in the pejorative sense of the word boasting.
Kevin wrote: "My position on the incessant braggadocio is that it was a necessary cultural norm, equatable to how we modern folk pad and distribute our resumes. Without stories to tell about themselves, Beowul..."
I think it was more of the fact that the the author had Beowulf tell his story to everyone again and again instead of just saying something like "Because the King asked, Beowulf retold his story to him and his people." That would not have bothered me.
Veronica wrote: "Kevin wrote: "My position on the incessant braggadocio is that it was a necessary cultural norm, equatable to how we modern folk pad and distribute our resumes.
Without stories to tell about th..."
No, Kevin has it correct. Boasting was part of the culture. There are instances of this in other works from the same time period. Just like the oversignification of treasure, Beowulf's speeches are part of the heroic culture. I've had to read a whole bunch of papers on Beowulf's speeches for a paper I'm writing.
Without stories to tell about th..."
No, Kevin has it correct. Boasting was part of the culture. There are instances of this in other works from the same time period. Just like the oversignification of treasure, Beowulf's speeches are part of the heroic culture. I've had to read a whole bunch of papers on Beowulf's speeches for a paper I'm writing.
macgregor wrote: "Veronica wrote: "Kevin wrote: "My position on the incessant braggadocio is that it was a necessary cultural norm, equatable to how we modern folk pad and distribute our resumes. Without stories t..."
Ah, I see. I guess my preferences just get in the way of the enjoyment :P
To be fair to yourself, your tastes have been developed to a certain style of storytelling in the current age that is not the same as the mode of storytelling from a thousand years ago. In order words, it's a mode that we're just not familiar with anymore. The constant repetition of details fits into the theory that Beowulf may have started as an oral story, but that's up for debate and will never be solved.
If you are reading an early version that repetition follows the saga style of telling a story and can almost be compared to the ( to me) irritating resume of previous episodes of long running dramas or soaps! I read a children's version of Beowullf (as a child) but it had nothing of the hypnotic hold on a listener of a story written as if it was meant to be told around a log fire in the depth of winter when a belief in monsters like Grendel were normal.
Carole wrote: "If you are reading an early version that repetition follows the saga style of telling a story and can almost be compared to the ( to me) irritating resume of previous episodes of long running drama..."
1 star, Carole? Any particular reason?
1 star, Carole? Any particular reason?
I only gave one star because I didn't really enjoy "reading" it...... Listening to it even makes that repetitive bragging sound good!
Did you listen to it in Old English? If so, that's impressive. How much did you comprehend in listening to it?
Or, if you listened to it in modern idiomatic English, then isn't it as mediated through translation as it is through the written word?
Or, if you listened to it in modern idiomatic English, then isn't it as mediated through translation as it is through the written word?
No , no I am not that learned unfortunately. It was at college and only selected parts. We did listen to someone reading excerpts from an Icelandic saga in the original and then in translation then again in the original and this was most interesting as everyone enjoyed the version they couldn't understand........ The drama and emphasis , tone etc all added to the mystique perhaps? We were exploring children's literature and started with myths and legends.
From what I learned in college lit classes, there is a lot of repetition because Beowolf is a story passed on from generation to generation through oral tradition.
I actually listened to Beowulf in the Old English and I can read some of it in the Old English because of Seamus Heany's version of the story. Beowulf's repetitive nature can be annoying and hard to understand at times, but I think that is part of what makes the tale so personal. How many of us add something different to a story when we tell someone new the story? It's almost as if he adds more detail to make it more dramatic.Like Carol stated early the repetitiveness of the story also falls into the genre that is was written in the epic saga dealt a lot with repeating the details adding something more to the story each time.
I actually wrote an essay and included the story of Freda in it for college. Got an A from my professor.
Relax, it's just asynchronous storytelling. Typical postmodernism. oh wait
Scott wrote: "Relax, it's just asynchronous storytelling. Typical postmodernism. oh wait"
No, you're right. Those postmodernists think they invented it - phooey
Bryn wrote: "It's an artful interweaving by the poet. Beowulf's account to Hygelac is telling him what we know; but while he was at Hrothgar's court Beowulf was noticing other things. It didn't suit the poet to..."I utterly love how you described this phenomenon, and style. And, so agree with you.
Vanessa wrote: "I utterly love how you described this phenomenon, and style..."Have to say thanks, Vanessa.
I love Beowulf. It's been big in my life.
Oh well I am part Northwestern European. It was the bragging that made one realize that their is more in life to fear than being beheaded and fighting a gruesome monster. It is fighting the monster we may become or create. Now eat your Soylent green.
If you don't have the balls to talk honestly about the monster you will always recreate it an hence never kill it.
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For example, Beowulf returns home and is called before Hygelac to tell the tale of how he heroically defeated Grendel and Grendel's mother. But right in the middle of this story, he starts telling Hygelac about Hrothgar's daughter who is set to marry a prince and that this marriage will stir up the an old feud between two kingdoms.
When this part came up, I was honestly wondering what the hell Beowulf was talking about and if I missed something earlier in the story. I mean even if this was a new conflict being introduced, why is it thrown in the middle of his recap about Grendel?
I'm so confused.