Description
Book SynopsisGathering some of the most important studies from the past 25 years of Beowulf scholarship, The Beowulf Reader offers essential insights both to scholars in the field and to readers coming to this Old English literary masterpiece for the first time. The carefully selected essays in this volume represent the various approaches that have dominated recent Beowulf studies and illustrate the evolution of Old English literary criticism, from New Critical formalism to recent trends in critical theory and a resurgent historicism.
Table of ContentsIntroduction E.G. Stanley Beowulf Larry D. Benson The Pagan Coloring of Beowulf Eric John Beowulf and the Margins of Literacy Fred C. Robinson Elements of the Marvelous in the Characterization of Beowulf: A Reconsideration of the Textual Evidence Stanley B. Greenfield The Authenticating Voice in Beowulf Marijane Osborn The Great Feud: Scriptural History and Strife in Beowulf Carol J. Clover The Germanic Context of the Unferp Episode Roberta Frank Skaldic Verse and the Date of Beowulf Colin Chaser The Hero's Pride in Old English Hagiography Kevin S. Kiernan The Legacy of Wiglaf: Saving a Wounded Beowulf Gillian R. Overing The Women of Beowulf: A Context for Interpretation Mary Blocklye and Thomas Cable Kuhn's Laws, Old English Poetry and the New Philosophy Roy Michael Liuzza On the Dating of Beowulf
