Beowulf and Criticism
- The Electronic Beowulf
University of Kentucky
Kevin Kiernan and Emil Iacob
Beowulf by
A brilliant and faithful rendering of the Anglo-Saxon epic from the Nobel laureate. Composed toward the end of the first millennium of our era, Beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the adventures of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and, later, from Grendel's mother. He then returns to his own country and dies in old age in a vivid fight against a dragon. The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on in the exhausted aftermath. In the contours of this story, at once remote and uncannily familiar at the end of the twentieth century, Seamus Heaney finds a resonance that summons power to the poetry from deep beneath its surface. Drawn to what he has called the "four-squareness of the utterance" in Beowulf and its immense emotional credibility, Heaney gives these epic qualities new and convincing reality for the contemporary reader.
Call Number: Main Collection PR 1583 .H43 2000ISBN: 9780374111199Publication Date: 2000-02-15
Beowulf by
Composed about CE 1000, ""Beowulf"" is the longest known poem written in Old English. Considered one of the great epics, the Anglo-Saxon saga relates the heroic deeds of the warrior Beowulf, who kills the man-eating monster Grendel, and the monster's mother. Containing touches of Christian and pagan symbolism, ""Beowulf"" is the source of many medieval and Renaissance legends. It also influenced J.R.R. Tolkien, and helped spawn the fantasy genre so popular today in literature and film. Arm students for immersion in the study of this mythic adventure with ""Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations"". Newly updated, ""Beowulf"" includes full-length, interpretive essays that provide expert commentary, as well as introductions, a chronology, notes on the contributors, and a bibliography.
Call Number: Main Collection PR 1585 .B58 2007ISBN: 9780791093016Publication Date: 2006-12-30
Beowulf by
Composed around 1000 CE, ""Beowulf"" is the longest-known poems written in Old English. Considered to be one of the great epics, the poem tells of the heroic deeds of the great warrior Beowulf, and contains both Christian and pagan symbolism. Students will eagerly explore the poem's influential themes in this new offering from the ""Bloom's Guides"" series. They'll also learn how ""Beowulf"" is the blueprint for many of the legends often associated with medieval and Renaissance literature, as well as the prototype for the modern fantasy genre.
Call Number: Main Collection PR 1585 .B37 2008ISBN: 9780791094327Publication Date: 2008-03-30
A Companion to Beowulf by
Perhaps the most important work written in Old English, Beowulf grew out of a culture very different from ours, and yet its story of war, violence, and heroism remains relevant to modern readers. Accessible to high school students, general readers, and undergraduates, this companion overviews the poem and its legacy. The initial chapters review the plot of Beowulf, while later chapters discuss its style and language, its cultural and historical contexts, and its afterlife in contemporary popular culture. The first part of the book provides information of interest to a wide range of readers, while the second covers more specialized topics. Thus the initial chapters review the merits of different translations and offer a detailed plot summary, while later chapters discuss the poem's language and style, its treatment of religion, its relation to Anglo-Saxon culture, and its legacy in popular culture. One of the greatest Beowulf scholars was J.R.R. Tolkien, and the book gives special attention to his use of the poem in his own fiction. High school students, undergraduates, and general readers will find this book a valuable guide to one of the most challenging yet enduring works of English literature.
Call Number: Main Collection PR 1585 .S73 2005ISBN: 9780313332241Publication Date: 2005-07-30
The Cambridge Companion to Old English Literature by
This book introduces students to the literature of Anglo-Saxon England, the period from 600-1066, in a collection of fifteen specially commissioned essays. The chapters are written by experts, but designed to be accessible to students who may be unfamiliar with Old English. The emphasis throughout is on placing texts in their contemporary context and suggesting ways in which they relate to each other and to the important events and issues of the time. With the help of maps and a chronological table of events the first chapters describe briefly the political, social and ecclesiastical history of the period and how poetry and prose in Latin and in the vernacular developed and flourished. A succinct account of Old English provides beginners with a handy guide to the rules of spelling, grammar and syntax. Subsequent chapters explore the range of Anglo-Saxon writing under different thematic headings. A final bibliography gives guidance on further reading.
Call Number: Main Collection PR 173 .C36 1991ISBN: 0521374383Publication Date: 1991-05-31
Etymology and Linguistics
- Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window This multi-volume dictionary, published by the Oxford University Press, is a descriptive dictionary of the English language, tracing the historical development of words with accompanying examples from literature of their usage over time.
Old English and History of the English Language (Videos)
Old English & History of English (Books & eBooks)
Introduction to Old English by
Introduction to Old English is the leading text available designed to help students engage with Old English literary and historical texts for the first time. This new edition builds on the success of the original and includes an expanded anthology and new, easy-to-use glossary. Assumes no expertise in other languages or in traditional grammar Includes basic grammar reviews at the beginning of each major chapter Features 'Minitexts' to give students practice reading Old English Includes two chapters on syntax and three on reading poetry Provides a collection of key Old English texts, including 'The Wanderer', 'The Dream of the Rood' and 'Judith' Accompanied by the author's Old English Aerobics website featuring additional readings and exercises
Call Number: Main Collection PE 135 .B34 2007ISBN: 9781405152723Publication Date: 2007-03-27
Old English Poetics by
Traditions are created and maintained by groups of people living in specific times and places: they do not have a life of their own. In this radical new approach to Old English poetics, the author argues that the apparent timelessness and stability of Old English poetic convention is a striking historical phenomenon that must be accounted for, not assumed, and that the perceived conservatism of Old English poetic conventions is the result of choice. Successive generations of poets deliberately maintained the traditionality of Old English poetry, putting it into dialogue with contemporary conditions to express critique and dissent as well as nostalgia. The author makes particularuse of the rich language of treasure to be found in Anglo-Saxon verse to historicise her argument, but her argument has wide implications for how we approach the role of tradition in the poetry of earlier societies. DrELIZABETH TYLER teaches in the Department of English and the Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York.
Call Number: eBook (Login to MyVCCCD to access this eBook from off-campus)ISBN: 9781846154966Publication Date: 2006-08-17
Spell It Out by
The fascinating and surprising history of English spelling from David Crystal, everyone's favorite expert logophile WithThe Story of English in 100 Words, David Crystal took us on a tour through the history of our language. Now, withSpell It Out, he takes on the task of answering all the questions about how we spell: "Why is English spelling so difficult?" Or "Why are good spellers so proud of their achievement that when they see a misspelling they condemn the writer as sloppy, lazy, or uneducated?" In thirty-seven short, engaging and informative chapters, Crystal takes readers on a history of English spelling, starting with the Roman missionaries' sixth century introduction of the Roman alphabet and ending with where the languagemight be going. He looks individually at each letter in the alphabet and its origins. He considers the question of vowels and how people developed a way to tell whether or not it was long or short. He looks at influences from other cultures, and explains how English speakers understood that the "o" in "hopping" was a short vowel, rather than the long vowel of "hoping". If you've ever asked yourself questions like "Why do the words "their", "there" and "they're" sound alike, but mean very different things?" or "How can we tell the difference between "charge" the verb and "charge" the noun?" David Crystal'sSpell It Out will spell it all out for you.
Call Number: Main Collection PE1141 .C79 2013ISBN: 9781250003478Publication Date: 2013-06-18
