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Beowulf (Signet Classics)
 

Beowulf

by Anonymous

The epic poem of war and adventure.

Beowulf is the earliest extant poem in a modern European language. It was composed in England four centuries before the Norman Conquest. But no one knows exactly when it was composed, or by whom, or why. As a social document this great epic reflects a feudal, newly Christian world of heroes and monsters, blood and victory and death.

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Top tags: poetry,  classic,  literature,  fiction,  epic (all tags)

Discussions

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  • NQW

    nqw said:

    “I first read this translation between the 2000 election and the Bush vs. Gore decision. Beuwulf's proto Anglo-Saxon motivations rooted in wrongs done to his father turned out to be an interesting predictor of the GW Bush administration. Whenever I wonder what W will do about some issue, I just think what would Beowulf do? Scary, but it always works.”

    posted Monday, June 30 2008
  • Shoshi2

    shoshi2 said:

    “beuwulf -reminds me on that classic ballade i had to read and get the components down at high school. The nordic tale about that 'man eating monster' Grendel, and the warrior who fought it down to its wet cave and cought it.”

    posted Friday, October 19 2007
  • rgoutham

    rgoutham said:

    “Checkout Crichton's 'Eaters of the Dead' , the book was inspired by Beowulf...”

    posted Tuesday, July 31 2007
  • EmilyRuth78

    emilyruth78 said:

    “Heaney's translation is wonderfully accessible, while maintaining many of the features of the Old English poem.”

    posted Thursday, July 12 2007
  • littlelegs

    littlelegs said:

    “Sorry to repeat the views of the others but the Heaney translation is brilliant and so accessible.

    I went out with Grendel then I met her mother......
    ”

    posted Wednesday, June 6 2007
  • polysciscribe

    polysciscribe said:

    “This translation is great and it is the one I read and it is the one that cause me to fall in love with Beowulf”

    posted Saturday, June 2 2007
  • jdesson

    jdesson said:

    “There are horrible translations like the one I had to read at university in the 1960's, but the translation by Irish writer, Seamus Heaney (ISBN: 0-374-11119-7) is an object of beauty. His translation is accessable yet, I am told, true to the original. It is a joy to read..”

    posted Friday, June 1 2007
  • primadonna20

    primadonna20 said:

    “Thanks everyone!! :P It's #5 on my reading list right now, so I appreciate the advice! ”

    posted Wednesday, May 30 2007
  • debmcm

    debmcm said:

    “By the way... when you finish "Beowulf" you should read "Grendel" by John Gardner. Read the story from Grendel's perspective!”

    posted Sunday, May 27 2007
  • debmcm

    debmcm said:

    “My class reads the translation by Burton Raffel -w hich is a good one-because it is in their lit. book....but I always read them certain selections from Heaney because it is my favorite. It is neat to compare the two. Reading out loud is definitely a good idea!”

    posted Sunday, May 27 2007
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