Beowulf: Library Edition

Rating:
Summary: Courtesy over adventure
Review: Beowulf is a wonderful poem, not just because of the wondrous adventures of its heroes, but rather because it shows the courteous manner in which the Germanic kingdoms of the middle ages carried themselves. Some people may think the characters simple or lacking complexity, but that is because this poem is not trying to confound or illuminate: this was written for courtly recitation and illustrates courtly and courteous manners, rather than adventures.

Rating:
Summary: Good Story, but Heany's translation is better.
Review: So we all had to plow throught this poem wit its unpronounceable names, and far-off places that one on has ever heard of.

So why bother? I think that Joseph Cambell has made the point over and over again that there is more to these stories than mere entertainement. These legends were not only history, but they were also CULTURE, intended to CULTIVATE a civilization. We learn of order, honor, and duty as were read a rough legend as Beowulf. These legends held socitey togeather. We studied them in our English classes, but we should be reading them in our history, philosophy, and relgious classes too. Ther is more to these stories than a good time.

There are two main drawback to this translation. The first is that it is in prose form, rather than the poetic form, so we loose some of the majesty of the tale. The early classics were alays poems, not only toaid in memeory, but to set it apart from normal conversation. This was to be sacred words describing sacred events.

The second problem, is that the translation is very rough and wordy. The essence of poetry is is brevity--quick thoughts quickly spoken. The wordiness almosrt makes this poem a transliteration rather than a translation. It is not converational English, but sounds like it was done by a musty scholar to appease other musty scholars.

I reccomed Seamus Heaney's recent translation. The pome has been given a second birth by this smmmother and even poetric translation. His version is converational, firendly, and has the spark of genius that you woyuld expect from a Nobel lauriate.

Rating:
Summary: Classic!
Review: This is a classic, and perhaps the most boring classic of all time. I think this is one of those books that no one has actually read cover to cover.