Beowulf

Description

Of unknown authorship, Beowulf is an Old English epic poem which incites contentious debate and has been endlessly interpreted over the centuries. This Reader's Guide provides a much-needed overview of the large body of Beowulf criticism, moving from eighteenth-century reactions to twenty-first-century responses. Jodi-Ann George: / charts the changes in critical trends and theoretical approaches applied to the poem / includes discussion of J. R. R. Tolkein's pioneering 1936 lecture on Beowulf , and Seamus Heaney's recent translation / analyses Beowulf in popular culture, addressing the poem's life in film versions, graphic novels, music and comics. Clear and engaging, this is an indispensable introductory guide to a widely-studied and enigmatic work which continues to fascinate readers everywhere.

Author description

JODI-ANNE GEORGE is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Dundee, UK, where she also runs the JOOT Theatre Company. She has published widely on early drama, Anglo-Saxon poetry and the Pre-Raphaelites, and her previous publications include the volume on Geoffrey Chaucer: The General Prologue which is also in the Readers' Guides series.

Table of contents

Acknowledgements Introduction: Hwaet! 'Rude beginning': 1705-1899 'Conflicting babel': 1900-1931 The Monsters Meet the Critics: the 1930s and 1940s The Debates Continue: the 1950s and 1960s Stock-taking: the 1970s Critics on the Crest of a Wave: the 1980s An Embarrassment of Critical Riches: the 1990s-Present 'Beowulf' in Popular Culture Conclusion Notes Select Bibliography Index