Beowulf

Beowulf by Anonymous Translated by Burton Raffel The book runs 98 pages, not including the introduction, afterword, glossary, and genealogies. Burton Raffel's translation is easy for a modern reader to follow and very engaging. Any work that has withstood the test of time like Beowulf will get a five‑star rating from me. But even if Beowulf had been written in modern times, I think I would still rate it five stars. I found the story very compelling and was impressed with the vivid images it invoked. The author does a great job setting the scene, building toward the action, and finishing strong. Beowulf is a very enjoyable protagonist. It's a classic story of good versus evil. The author does a phenomenal job portraying Beowulf as a great leader—the kind of man every warrior would want on their side. An equally strong job is done in representing Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon as disgusting agents of evil. The theme that stood out to me the most was that of light defeating dark—God defeating Satan. Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon are always depicted as dwelling in dark, dank lairs outside the kingdom, whereas Beowulf is always in the light or a bringer of light. Herot is described as a bright place with gleaming gold; likewise, Grendel's lair and the dragon's stone tower are said to be lit after Beowulf arrives. Beowulf restores the light in Herot and brings light into Grendel's dark lair and the dragon's dark tower. This is a great story, and to me it is clear why it still stands tall after so many centuries—well deserved.

The digital copy could be better is some regards but it is good enough. The prose is very readable for people, like me, who struggle with the verse versions. The story is great.

Translated by Francis Barton Gummere (I mention it because Amazon displays all the reviews under different Beowulf editions) this book was harder than I thought. I am not a native English speaker but I have read essays about kennings and time ago I had seen that animated movie of Beowulf (whose cgi I didn't like that much) thus I was a bit prepared to read Beowulf... but not, I failed. The alliteration was quite musical, epic, it sounds stately when each line is read slowly in your mind, but in exchange was harder to understand the story. It doesn't help that other stories are mixed in between. Nevertheless I liked it. As a whole I think it is a sum of many parts not blending well, a hydra. But the parts that make it are quite beautiful. The lines speak about swords that melt through blood, warriors that are brothers and make promises that involve kingdoms, the frigid sea and demigod strenght through decades of life. Grendel biting and mocking men. Each line in its alliteration lives in itself and dies in itself. Maybe in its original day this beauty was crystalline and made a whole story that I couldn't see. In another point there are Norse or Germanic Gods but not quite, and there is the Christian God, but not quite. Because the God in which Beowulf and his kinsmen believe is one a strong one that loves his warriors. So we have a book that, in reference to religion, is a bit a godless one, and that makes it interesting too, because it is pure human heart and will winning the battle.

I'm of two minds about Beowulf. One: The poetic flow of this edition is absolutely beautiful. It's silky-smooth, engrossing, and incredibly easy to read. The footnotes in each chapter serve well to explain certain anachronisms or confusing wordings - and to disambiguate characters when merely pronouns are used. I had no trouble reading this in terms of flow and word choices. Two: Despite the beautiful poetic flow and helpful footnotes, I still highly doubt I'd have understood half of what was going on if I hadn't read the children's novel version from Wishbone first. My brain and long sentences with creative structures just don't get along - at least insofar as comprehension is concerned. How do I translate that into a rating? Well, I know I enjoyed the story itself when I read a prose-based retelling. And I know I had fun reading the poem version, even if I struggled a bit with comprehension. I will admit, however, I think I accidentally skimmed - or turned my brain off when reading, maybe - several times, when there wasn't much going on to hold full attention. This happens to me with poetry in general, so I don't feel right faulting Beowulf for it. I do think it was a touch too long and the plot a little convoluted, but... it's not bad. It's not the best thing ever, but it's not bad. I don't regret spending the night reading this. Thus, I think I'm gonna go with three stars. I like it, but don't love it. And this particular edition is well-formatted with useful information.

I remember my mother reading this story to us on a hot summer afternoon, especially when Beowulf tore off the monster's arm and tossed it into the rafters. When I started subbing, I tucked my well-worn paperback into my bag and would connive non-readers into reading it by saying, of course they wouldn't want to read something so bloody and violent. Invariably, they would grab it and be hooked.[muh-ha-ha]. This is one of those books I return to again and again because it has grown with me. Now, as an adult, I appreciate the end of the story when he fights the dragon alone. The tale gives me the courage to fight my own dragons. A more recent translation has come out, but I prefer this one. The language is accessible. The rhythm of the original is preserved, but the translation isn't as literal. I read this book for the experience rather than to study Middle English. I hated the movie, which was too cynical and too Hollywood. Beowulf is not a cynical story, but a noble one. There are cynical minor characters, but Beowulf is a hero through and through. If you want to know what a true hero is, if you want to know what makes a man, Beowulf can teach you. His lessons have lasted through time.

Beowulf is the longest and oldest Germanic Epic that has survived. Our vision of the Ancient Germanic world is coloured by the Icelandic prose writers of the 13th and 14th Centuries: at a time when Old Germanic culture was dissolving into the Feudal Era. With a composition date of around 800 A.D. this national poem of the Saxons takes us back much further than the sagas do; other than a few stuck-on references to God, the whole thing is entirely pagan Germanic. It is a real miracle that this epic has survived for us! We too can enter the word-world of the old Saxon warriors. The best way to do this is of course to read the real thing: i.e. the epic poem in Anglo-Saxon. This heavily glossed edition allows you to do just that! You will need to know a few other things though, such as declensions and conjugations, but they are easily learnt: '-a' is genitive plural, and '-um' is dative plural; '-on' is the past plural ending (so, 'writ-on' means 'they wrote'). The rest of the grammar is more or less like that of Shakespeare. About 67% of the words in the epic are still used in modern English, so you'll be able to de-modernize your language very quickly! Pick up your 'bill ond byrnum' and go to battle standing beside your ancient ancestors!

There are countless translations of Beowulf, however this one breathes renewed life into a time honored classic. This new translation flows beautifully, drawing you deep into this epic poem. Translated in the Classic Anglo-Saxon Verse this version also includes an abundant glossary teeming with Anglo-Saxon words and phrases. This feature is of great use to me in my studies, as is the thorough list of all the characters of the poem. Whether you are in need of this title for studies, or looking for a great read, this version is a steal at $0.99. I highly recommend it!

People may not know that this story/poem is a THOUSAND years old. Set in what is now Scandaivia, this is the story of a monster named Grendel and his vicious mother. These two would sneak into villages, attack people and eat them alive. Many villages appealed to the king of their region for help with this scourge. There was a great warrior named Beowulf who was known far and wide. He was asked to travel to the region and help the villagers. There were many battles and Beowulf finally succeeded in killing Grendel and his mother after years of strife. What was so interesting was the history of this poem and how it was renewed after hundreds and hundreds of years. It was nearly destroyed many times but monks and historians restored the manuscript many times. Just the history of the this is incredible. Eventually the poem was written in English. I read this poem in College. It was required reading in both History & English class. There is something mystical about this tale and its enduring place in history.

After I watched the movie, I just had to read the book. Mind it, this is not an easy read. But it is totally worth spending time on. an amazing concept and a beautiful story crafted around it. Those nordic stories anyway are quite enthralling.

great book for all serious students of the poem and all those trying to get behind the many English translations, to what the words are. Every noun adjective and verb on every line is directly given its one nearest meaning on the opposite page by the most pedestrian/scholarly of translators - just what is needed to appreciate the lovely poetic interpretations of K.Crossley-Holland and S.Heaney etc. Some good and thorough introductory material by the scholarly M.Alexander

Perfect. Thanks !

Recomendo para o repertório de conhecimento geral da literatura universal e clássica.

Escrito en inglés antiguo. Difícil de leer pero muy interesante.