Beowulf is one of the most influential and oldest pieces of English literature. The author and date are unknown but manuscript is usually dated somewhere in the time of 1000 AD. It is written in Old English and is 3183 lines long. It is an epic poem, in case you were wondering and it has greatly influenced the writing of J.R.R. Tolkien. Some might surmise that Tolkien flat out ripped big chunks, but that is neither here nor there.
No doubt you have heard that the movie is on the way. I really want to see it, but I don’t think my graduate school status will allow for the frivolous expenditure of money. Fine, I’ll rent it. I am cautious though, as it is a cgi project and you never know how that will turn out. Click here for the official movie site.
What you might be interested in (and what certainly interests me more) is that a graphic novel adaptation is also now available. It is written by Stefan Petrucha and illustrated by Kody Chamberlain. Others have created comic adaptations. Click here to see some.
If you’ve ever wanted to read Beowulf but could not interpret Old English, then you can go here and read this online translation. You can click here to read more about Beowulf from Wikipedia.
No doubt you have heard that the movie is on the way. I really want to see it, but I don’t think my graduate school status will allow for the frivolous expenditure of money. Fine, I’ll rent it. I am cautious though, as it is a cgi project and you never know how that will turn out. Click here for the official movie site.
What you might be interested in (and what certainly interests me more) is that a graphic novel adaptation is also now available. It is written by Stefan Petrucha and illustrated by Kody Chamberlain. Others have created comic adaptations. Click here to see some.
If you’ve ever wanted to read Beowulf but could not interpret Old English, then you can go here and read this online translation. You can click here to read more about Beowulf from Wikipedia.
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11 comments:
Great information. Thanks for sharing.
Did you know that he Beowulf manuscript is now housed in the British Library, London.
I have a free "E-copy" of BeoWulf at my site
Click Here To Read
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Hey Jack,
we had to memorize lines of Beowulf in high school.
And still, in my head... I hear (don't mind the spelling)
Grendel godes ihre bare.
or something like that.
Might be interesting to see... but like you, I'll rent judiciously.
I didn't know of the graphic novel. And I've liked Petrucha's work on some of the Kolchak: The Night Stalker titles.
Hey, Sniderman, did you ever have to memorize any of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales? The first 18 lines of the prologue, memorized phonetically in Middle English, still run through my mind from time to time. Public education can be so cruel....
Yes, Canterbury Tales, the 23rd Psalm and the Scarlet Letter were all a part of my public High School Ed.
I've thought back on memorizing the 23rd Psalm thing a few times... and really scratched my head. But it was prep work to get into mode for understanding Hawthorne... and later Milton's Paradise Lost. Maybe not a bad thing.
But I laugh at "thy rod and staff comfort me" everytime it's read to this day. (Um, beavis... he said rod).
I had to memorize the 23rd Psalm in 4th grade. We had to memorize and do recitations of many things (see the goose poem on my blog). Of course, I went to a public elementary school where we all still recited "We give thee thanks, O Lord, for these and all our gifts which we have received, Amen." every day in unison before lunch.
Jack,
I read Beowulf in College. I need to re-read it. I will check out your links. I am anxious for the movie to premire. The graphics look awesome.
I also loved Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and Milton's Paradise Lost. I never had to memorize them. I memorized the Ps. 23 because I wanted to and not because I was forced.
When you're in high school and the teacher says it's for a grade, you do it.
Kinda like attending church at Evangel, BBC or COTO... it's mandatory.
I think we spent just a bit too much time on Psalm 23 in my public high school though. A week was a bit long to get the idea. Sunday church school was plenty for that message.
That bird probably wouldn't fly these days. And that's ok, there are plenty of private catholic, lutheran and surely home schools nearby just for that.
..For those that want to do it because they want to...
My High School didn't make us memorize lines. We talked about books and their implications to our lives, but never just blindly memorized. Interesting. I had a good high school English teacher.
Mine did not either, Jack. We read a lot and a variety but did not have to memorize for English (did for drama but that is very different). I am not in favor of making kids memorize Ps. 23 in High School. Now, I do see benefit of examining it as literature in High School. There is a lot of quality religious works (not just from the Bible) that often are missed because of misplaced fear. I do think a week on Ps. 23 is a bit too long to study it unless you are in a Christian school.
I'm hoping that when my kids hit 4th grade they don't have to memorize and recite (religious material or not) lines rather than have discussions. It used to make some of the kids so nervous and made me uncomfortable watching them squirm.
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