After teaching medieval English studies at the college level
for 10 years, I transitioned to teaching high school English. Much to my surprise, seniors overwhelming
preferred excerpts in the anthology of “Beowulf” over “Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight.” I thought that the seduction, partying, intrigue, and lifestyles of
the rich and famous of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” would have more appeal
than drunk, “stoopid” men cowering in the face of the monster Grendel with the
hero Beowulf saving the day. Ultimately, I ordered whole copies of “Beowulf”
for the seniors to relish. The Old English epic poem has a lasting popular
appeal.
Backgrounds—the Two
Traditions
If you think memorizing poetry is difficult, imagine
memorizing all 3182 lines of “Beowulf”! The Beowulf poet composed the poem long
before William Caxton introduced the printing press to England in 1476. Before then,
anything related to religion or law was committed to parchment; everything else
relied on oral tradition—stories
composed and passed down by word of mouth.
Why poetry? “Beowulf” was composed long before prose became
acceptable for literary works. Anything with rhyme or meter is easier to
memorize, leading to the alliterative
tradition. The alliterative line has the repetition of similar consonant
sounds across the line with a pause in the middle, aiding memorization and
recitation.
Backgrounds—the Old
English Time Period (499 A.D. or 700 A.D. to 1100 A.D.)
The dates of the Old English time period vary, depending on
your interpretation of history. The Germanic chieftains Hengist and Horsa
invaded what ultimately became England in 499 A.D. leading some to identify that
year was the beginning of Old English. Old English language became recognizable
as a language around 700 A.D., leading others to argue for that year as the
beginning.
Unlike the Romans who oversaw the Celtic Isles until 450
A.D., the Germanic invaders intermarried with the native Celtic women. They
held backyard barbeques, put up picket fences, and adopted collie dogs. With
this intermarriage between Celtic women and Germanic invaders, England grew
into a fledgling country which traced its history on the Germanic side back to Scandinavia,
including Denmark and Geatland—the setting of “Beowulf.” As an epic poem,
“Beowulf” celebrates the history of those who helped make Britain the empire on
which the sun never sets.
Start Reading! Some
Suggestions
·
Choose a translation. Take a few minutes
researching and find the translation—poetry or prose—that is comfortable.
- Read slowly and carefully. Forget immediate gratification!
- Create a list of characters as you read with a brief bio. If you confuse characters as you continue, simply consult your list.
- · Re-read what you don’t understand.
- · Re-read what you do understand and enjoy.
- · As “Beowulf” was composed in the oral tradition, be brash and read it aloud.
- · Be even brasher and organize an event to read “Beowulf” aloud. Invite some friends, buy some mead, and read! The group could assign parts and act out the poem or each could simply read a predetermined number of lines. Just don’t be “stoopid.”
Road Trips—In
Literature
Literature offers a plethora of road trip stories such as
the one Beowulf takes with his buds to save Geatland and earn honor. Homer’s “Odyssey”
is the great-grandparent of all road trips. (If you haven’t read Margaret
Atwood’s “Penelopiad” (“The Odyssey” from Penelope’s point-of-view), you
should. No one yet has taken up my story-telling challenge, so I am offering up
another story in the context of “Beowulf.” Because of length, my story is in a separate posting.
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