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In teaching, it is a mistake to introduce Old English literature via Beowulf. As the article implies.
by chairmansteve 1y ago
In teaching, it is a mistake to introduce Old English literature via Beowulf. As the article implies.
- Jtsummers 1y agoAnd ironically they invite you to study Beowulf with them for their first summer book club: > You’ll also be able to join the very first Dead Language Society summer book club(!), where we’ll be reading Beowulf together. We’ll compare translations against the original Old English and explore the historical and cultural context of the poem. Along the way, I’ll explain all the deep lore that most readers miss. That said, there's nothing wrong with including Beowulf in a course teaching Old English. When I studied it in college it was one of many texts that we read, which was helpful because a lot of people had read parts of Beowulf in modern English previously so there was a lot of context in reading it that was absent in some of the other texts.
- jfengel 1y agoLike Shakespeare, I would not throw an entire text at a student. But I think that a thoughtfully edited set of Beowulf extracts is a great place to start. It helps that you can start at the beginning, because the prologue is really good. Another thing I would do is to read it in conjunction with a great translation. I adore Maria Dahvana Headley's new translation: Bro! Tell me we still know how to talk about kings! In the old days, everyone knew what men were: brave, bold, glory-bound. Only stories now, but I'll sound the Spear-Danes' song, hoarded for hungry times.
- Hweat 1y ago[dead]