5 Responses to “Beowulf”

1. Orrin C. Judd Says:
   August 12th, 2010 at 11:52 am

   Beowulf is the oldest poem in force in all modern European languages. Written in Old English, dating from around the eighth century, only one copy survived Henry VIII dissolved the Catholic monasteries.

   family history is very simple: when Hrothgar (a Danish king) is confronted with Grendel, a monster that has taken to attacking his hall Herot, Beowulf of the Goths (Southern Sweden) comes and kills Grendel . Subsequently, Beowulf must slay Grendel’s mother and towards the end of his life, he must battle a dragon. Everyone

   ever been an investigation into the English Literature course probably started with Beowulf. One can only hope they read this 1963 translation by Burton Raffel. It has taken this great epic and provided a decent translation.

   example

   . . And after this bloody battle, the Danes laughed with joy. He who had come to cross the sea, brave and strong-minded, had been grieving, purging Herot own. I was happy, now, wild night with this work, the Dane had been notified as he had boasted that his service Beowulf. A prince of the Goths, had killed Grendel, Ended the grief, pain, the suffering imposed on the poor of Hrothgar by a bloodthirsty demon. No doubt the Danish victory, for the test, high hanging from the rafters that Beowulf had hung, was the monster’s arm, claw and shoulder and all.

   GRADE: A +

2. DanD Says:
   August 12th, 2010 at 12:35 pm

   How many times have you sat in a poem, an epic poem of the past, who desperately want to read it and experience the great history. . . only to be intimidated by the outdated terminology (sometimes without useful notes) and the words that seem to make no sense, even if you know what I mean?

   Well, well. . . you say, “No kidding, Sherlock. This is part of literary reading – you get the whole cultural experience.” Okay, I accept your argument. But if you can obtain the whole cultural experience, the story itself, without a fight, and if this “modern” translation did not lose the flavor of the original, but really improved the original Sone so unspeakable? Would you go for him? ” />
   Of course. And this is the case of refunds Raffel of “Beowulf”, one of the most epic poems of all time. The reading is easy, beautiful and very exciting (which is usually lacking in the epic poem, I realized). This modern diction and syntax that manages to capture the rhythms and landscapes of the original Old English. In his introduction, Raffel briefly dissects the poem and how it is translated (as result, Robert Raffel translation Creed dissects and presents a brief history of the poem in Old English poetry in general, at the end of book, a list / description of the characters, and a family tree of some of the main characters, to remedy difficulties that may have more details). This version of “Beowulf” has become one of my favorite books I’ve read… a prestigious title that so far, no translation was achieved. Raffel version is faster, is beautiful, and clearly represents the glory, tragedy and majesty that we associate with “Beowulf. This is the must-have version of one of the best stories ever told.

3. Bryan A. Pfleeger Says:
   August 12th, 2010 at 1:20 pm

   I first read Beowulf in this edition as a student High Scholl and I must admit that at that time I was not very happy. When I heard that a new translation was available and the increase in the charts, I felt I had to give it a new look.

   poem Beowulf is the oldest existing English language, but Raffel give life. This is not the poetry of a dead language, but living poetry today. At school we were forced to read for their literary technique to the moving story of transmission. Perhaps my problem with the job. In retrospect, it is a great story.

   Beowulf is the heroic epic scale. “We have good kings, bad kings, wars and battles with monsters. Beowulf not only gives us the adventure though. It presents a unique historical document of the sixth century. It explains codes of the various tribes who live for their survival.

   This is a story of kings and warriors who have the time to discover and enjoy it. You will not be disappointed.

4. FrKurt Messick Says:
   August 12th, 2010 at 2:24 pm

   Once I made the joke that Grendel was the monster first beo-degradable in history. . .
   Wail />
   

   When I gave this joke to an English professor, used it in class, and quickly turned to me.

   Good. I will accept. But, Beowulf deserves the kind of serious attention that invites people to want to make bad jokes about it (unimportant things are ignored and that important things take place in jest).

   Beowulf is an old poem – often considered the first in English. This is not technically true, for linguistic reasons and others (in the demarcations of English beginnings fall are debatable, there is also the fact that there are more poems, but not epic poems). An epic is a long narrative poem, a literary form undervalued today, but that is probably equivalent to a production of Cecil B. DeMille in the past. The Iliad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, Gilgamesh – all these are epic poems. Generally, they recount heroic deeds, and most often were composed and intended for oral history. Beowulf consists of 3182 existing lines.

   The researchers also disagree on the ‘British heritage’ of the poem, thinking much more likely that importing countries Saxon original European composition of the United Kingdom. The story depicts two leaders, Hrothgar , leader of the Danes, and Beowulf, leader of the Goths, a Swedish tribe. These are interconnected through generations of family marriages, and Beowulf, because the loyalty to his men to help defend the house against Hrothgar Grendel monster.

   History Beowulf involves heroism, sacrifice, loyalty, war and conflict resolution – all the elements that go into good public works. It also has moral connotations (if intended to educate and inspire and entertain). It carries the message that the loyalty of a man in the fight against the supreme and God should be absolute (that is often instilled in soldiers of today) . It is almost decidedly Klingon in the glorification of battle (in fact, I often wondered if the Star Trek universe took a leaf of this epic to create the Klingon idea) – Beowulf fight three battles (a holy trinity of battles, almost) , dying gloriously in the final battle against a huge dragon, after having lived a life of honest and courageous.

   This story contains elements of both early Christianity and late paganism, but some cases, the problems of Christians can be added later by monks who transcribed the manuscripts (monks were seen to do in many circumstances, including Biblical texts). The oldest manuscript dates in force since the tenth century and is preserved in the British Museum.

   This translation is by Burton Raffel, poet and scholar. This issue is perhaps the most used one for students – which has an introduction that discusses both the poem and the context of early English literature. There is a glossary of names (useful for modern English readers, because names are not easily forgotten by many), and small pedigrees of large families in the poem. In the epilogue to Robert Creed says that “in the clear singing Burton Raffel, fresh and melancholy of this great poem can speak directly with us in our times.

   A great poem, good translation in verse, the reduction of past and present together.

5. Anonymous Says:
   August 12th, 2010 at 5:14 pm

   Beowulf is the definitive story of true courage, strength, honor and heroism. He is a man who sacrificed his life to helping others and to rid the world of evil and darkness. Beowulf is a perfect example of how each man must act and be. It is suggested that one understands the context of this story before reading. It’s a bit hard to read at first. In addition, it makes sense in most of what is happening that is not too obvious just by reading. . is good to know that they are. . but it is not necessary to understand the story. It’s a great story that everyone should read. . This is a total deviation in the way modern man thinks and believes what is true honor, strength, courage and heroism. This is the true meaning of what they are. It’s really impressive.