Beowulf swears to track down grendels mother and kill her. The monsters and the critics is widely recognized as a turning point in the criticism of the poem. Cain, cam, jutes, giants, and the textual criticism of beowulf article pdf available in studies in philology 1124. Beowulf is a narrative meditation in traditional old english alliterative verse on the origins of. Christian elements are pointed out and wellproven as well as general level of audience acquaintance with the anglosaxon and scandinavian danes, geats, swedes, frisians social and political kings, nobility. In anglosaxon studies, his celebrated lecture beowulf. Ad by two scribes and preserved in the british library in the collection of sir robert cotton. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. All warriors can do, he reminds hrothgar, is try to win fame before theyre eventually killed. Tolkien is most widely known as the author of the lord of the rings, but he was also a distinguished scholar in the field of mediaeval english language and literature. These and other documents sketching some of the cultural forces behind the poems final creation will help readers see beowulf as an exploration of the politics of kingship and the psychology of heroism, and as an early english meditation on the bridges and chasms between the pagan past and the christian present. The anglosaxon chronicle is a collection of annals in old english chronicling the history of the anglosaxons. Beowulf, roy liuzza, dec 6, 1999, fiction, 248 pages.
Her bestknown work is english historical documents, vol. The beowulfpoet manipulates a small repertory off linguistic devices. Beowulf is a narrative meditation in traditional old english alliterative verse on the origins of violence in human affairs. Increased investigation of old english prose, which is largely christian, and the wellknown work on beowulf by frederick klaeber, marie padgett hamilton, dorothy whitelock and others, seems to have redirected the search for anglosaxon paganism into a search sometimes opposed for reflections of christianity in anglosaxon poetry. The problematic nature of defining grendels mother in beowulf. Dorothy whitelocks the audience of beowulf 1951 took these assumptions regarding the minds of the poets contemporaries further by trying to establish what backgrounds, gender, and. Dorothy whitelock, fsa, frhists, fba, cbe 11 november 1901 14 august 1982 was an english historian.
Dorothy whitelock, fsa, frhists, fba, cbe 11 november 1901 14 august 1982 was an. The audience of beowulf by dorothy whitelock, 1951 online research library. Pdf cain, cam, jutes, giants, and the textual criticism. The classic story of beowulf, hero and dragonslayer, appears here in a new translation accompanied by genealogical charts, historical summaries, and a glossary of proper names. Inthe audience of beowulf, dorothy whitelock rightly reminded students ofbeowulfthat to date the poem it is not enough to demonstrate that it fits into a particular historical context without exploring the suitability of other contexts that such an obvious point needs to be made is symptomatic of the reluctance to look outside the age of. English society 1952, after bede 1960, the audience of beowulf 1951, and genuine asser 1967. A book commemorating the ninth centenary of the battle of hastings whitelock, dorothy douglas, david charles lemmon, charles h. The problematic nature of defining grendels mother in beowulf giulia hatton term paper advanced seminar english language and literature studies literature publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or essay.
The speeches in the poem, especially those of hrothgar and beowulf, contain many references to god, expressive of their speakers piety. Beowulf channels the book of genesis, the book of exodus, and the book of daniel in its inclusion of references to the genesis creation narrative, the story of cain and abel, noah and the flood, the devil, hell, and the last judgment. Dorothy whitelock appears to support a date of around 700 ad, which is best described as bede time in anglosaxon dark ages. Pdf this article defines a hypothetical late anglosaxon audience. Reading list department of english western michigan university old english poetry and prose. Introduction to beowulf, 1969, 112 pages, edward burroughs. Aug 19, 2010 as beowulf is essentially a record of heroic deeds, the concept of identityof which the two principal components are ancestral heritage and individual reputationis clearly central to the poem. This is a very interesting and fresh although the book was published in 1951 analysis of beowulf using an unusual method of restoration through textual analysis of key episodes and personages of the poem of medieval audience to which the beowulf poet addressed his opus magnum. Questia read the fulltext online edition of the audience of beowulf 1951. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes beowulf study guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays. Beowulf leaves his kingdom to wiglaf, the only knight to come to his aid. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. List of books and articles about beowulf online research. The dating of beowuif a quarter century on by roberta frank ce qui a ete cru par tous, et toujours, et partout, a toutes les chances detre faux.
Beowulf is cremated on his funeral pyre overlooking the sea, and then he is buried in a barrow containing the dragons treasure. Hughes nature and quality of old english poetry stanley b. The original manuscript of the chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in wessex, during the reign of alfred the great r. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Kirkus, and the bulletin of the center for childrens books, named on kirkus best books of 2016.
History beowulf is the earliest major work in english. The opening passages introduce the reader to a world in which every male figure is known as his fathers son. Talbot donaldson the origins of old english to 800 a. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The influence of christian doctrine and exegesis on old. The audience of beowulf, dorothy whitelock, 1951, literary criticism, 111 pages. He tells the story of a young prince who travels from his homeland in southern. Stanley, in the midst of an analysis which differs greatly from the one i advance herein, makes a similar observation regarding the references to god of the characters of beowulf. This companion has been thoroughly revised to take account of recent scholarship and to provide a clear and accessible introduction for those encountering old english literature for the first time.
The audience of beowulf by dorothy whitelock, 1958, clarendon press edition, in english with corrections. Inthe audience of beowulf, dorothy whitelock rightly reminded students ofbeowulfthat to date the. From 1957 to 1969, she was the elrington and bosworth professor of anglosaxon at the university of cambridge. Pdf cain, cam, jutes, giants, and the textual criticism of. Beowulf bawoolf, oldest english epic, probably composed in the early 8th cent. That we are meant to identify with these thanes is likewise not a novel idea. Goldsmith in this important contribution to anglosaxon studies dr goldsmith presents a fully elaborated and documented interpretation of beowulf based on the original theories which she has put forward in recent years and which have aroused considerable interest and controversy in scholarly circles. Dec 15, 2009 open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published.
An anglosaxon epic poem is the oldest surviving english poem consisting over over three thousand verses celebrating the greatdane who protected king hrothgar, conquered grendel and was ultimately defeated by a dragon. Kid beowulf is similar to bone, asterix, and avatar. In recent decades such scholars as wilhelm levison and dorothy whitelock have reminded readers of beowulf that in early anglosaxon times the age in which the poem has its origin christianity was the prevailing cultural force. Point of view and identification in beowulf springerlink. Except for the two cotton vitellius scribes, we have no known audience or readership of beowulf whose political interests. The audience of beowulf by dorothy whitelock, 1951. The audience of beowulf by dorothy whitelock, 1951 online.