Beowulf
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2.4 • 13 Ratings
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- $0.99
Publisher Description
One of the most universally studied of the English classics, Beowulf is considered the finest heroic poem in Old English. Written ten centuries ago, it celebrates the character and exploits of Beowulf, a young nobleman of the Geats, a people of southern Sweden.
Beowulf first rescues the royal house of Denmark from two marauding monsters, then returns to rule his people for 50 years, ultimately losing his life in a battle to defend the Geats from a dragon's rampage. The poem combines mythical elements, Christian and pagan sensibilities, and actual historical figures and events in a narrative that ranges from vivid descriptions of fierce fighting and detailed portrayals of court life to earnest considerations of social and moral dilemmas. Originally written in Old English verse, it is presented here in an authoritative prose translation by R. K. Gordon.
Customer Reviews
It's Beowulf...
If you want the Beowulf story, here it is... But it's in old English, so it's hard to follow, if you actually want to understand it, watch the movie
Setting the record straight
If you had read the other review on this publication, without reading the book itself (or the sample,) you might have been mislead to believe that this is a publication of the Old English text of Beowulf, and been put off from purchase by that assertion.
This is not an Old English publication. It is a Modern English translation of the Old English source text. The other reviewer must have been terminologically confused—the vernacular approach might be outdated by contemporary standards, but the translation is from the 20th century, in Modern English. There’s a difference between archaic Modern English and Old English, and if you’re ignorant enough to call this translation “Old English,” you obviously weren’t paying enough attention in the high school literature course you were probably assigned this book for.
If it was Old English, you wouldn’t be able to read it. That’s why we call this a TRANSLATION.