Beowulf Reading Guide
Collected Beowulf Resources
“It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.“ The Character Map shows the relationships between the characters in the poem, but does have a few spoilers. Introduction to Beowulf is a a great starting point for information about the poem. The Wikipedia Entry for Beowulf could certainly use some thoughtful work by students, and contains some interesting ideas. General Background Information –on Beowulf and the Development of Old English. Norton Anthology of English Literature–Linguistic and Literary Conexts of Beowulf. British Library Beowulf Page–background information about the Anglo-Saxons, the poem, and a reading of the Old English. Study Questions about Beowulf –Sixteen questions to analyze the poem. Translations of the Text
“Just don’t take any course where you have to read Beowulf.”–Woody Allen Direct Old English Translation Annotated by Benjamin Slade — A translation that does not seek to modernize the English, but preserves a word by word translation. Beowulf Translations.net –The most comprehensive look at the various translations of the Beowulf text. Beowulf Hypertext— a complete old and modern English version with supplementary information. Online Translation Broken in Chapters Translations Handout— Explores and compares various prose and poetry translations of the poem. |
Old English Resources
“In off the moors, down through the mist bands God-cursed Grendel came greedily loping. The bane of the race of men roamed forth, hunting for prey in the high hall.” Old English at the University of Virginia — An excellent resource about the language used by the Beowulf poet. The Electronic Introduction to Old English— if you want to learn the language and its grammar, this is the place to go. Building Blocks of Old English Poetry— a really good site with information about how Old English poetry was written. A More Complex Guide to Old English Poetry— Interesting, But Probably More Detailed Than You Need. A List of Kennings— A Wikipedia page that lists some well-known kennings. Kennings Collection— A great collection of kennings about various subjects, from animals to war. Kennings Defined— A page with a useful definition and some sample poetry. Other Old English Texts
“Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend/Grendel who haunted the moors, the wild/Marshes, and made his home in a hell./Not hell but hell on earth. He was spawned in that slime/Of Cain, murderous creatures banished/ By God, punished forever for the crime/ Of Abel’s death.” Middangeard–An anthology of Old English texts translated into modern English. The Complete Collection of Anglo-Saxon poetry The Battle of Maldon — A hyper-linked, annotated version of the Anglo-Saxon battle poem. Sound Recordings of Old English Poetry–a collection of audio files of Old English poems. Hrodulf ReadNosa Hrandeor–the Christmas song in another format. |
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