Beowulf:The Beginnings of British

(English) Literature

Power point adapted from : http://literature.pppst.com/ABC/beowulf.htmlEdited by K. Conner

Old English Beowulf was written in Old English, an early

form of English

In 1066, William the Conqueror successfully invaded England, bringing his Norman French language with him; the nobility began to speak French, and gradually Old English evolved into Middle English (1100-1500): “Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote/The droghte of March hath perced to the roote”

Modern English has been spoken since the Renaissance – Shakespeare is NOT Old English; he is Early Modern English

OriginsUnknown author; possibly one Christian author in Anglo-Saxon England

Unknown date of composition (roughly 8th-11th Century)

Literary DevicesAnglo- Saxons didn’t read or write, so they

had to memorize their stories. So, they used a lot of poetic devices to help.

Allusion: Biblical, legend, historical

Alliteration (eg. Scyld’s strong son)

Literary DevicesEpic poetry: a long narrative poem written

in elevated style which celebrates the deeds of a legendary hero or god.

Kenning: two-word metaphorical name for something (eg. whale-road=sea)

Scop: Anglo-Saxon composers and storytellers

Warrior CodeAs you have seen, the A-S people lived a

difficult, dark life. Since fighting was a common element, they had a warrior code

Comitatus: Germanic code of loyalty

Thane: warrior – swears loyalty to the king for whom they fought and whom they protected

Kings: generous, protected thanes

Warrior CodeReputation: thanes were expected to be

loyal, brave, courageous; kings were expected to be generous and hospitable

Wergild: “man-payment”; a fee paid to the family of a slain man to atone for his murder and to prevent the family from seeking revenge.

This gives us a good view of the A-S ideal

Geats and Danes

Beowulf was a war leader of the Geats, a group of people in what is now southern Sweden

Hrothgar was king of the Danes

Elements of an Epic1. Epic hero– an character with a trait or

characteristic that is valued by his society. • (E.g.– Superman’s bravery or valor)

2. Quest– A journey through which the character or the reader learns something of value

3. Valorous Deeds– Doing something bravely.4. Divine Intervention– The hand of God (or

gods) help the hero, proving his value.5. Great events– The hero has a hand in

something important in the history or mythology of a culture.

3 Epic Conventions1. Invoke a muse

– Muse– inspiration provided by the gods 2. Plot begins in medias res

– In medias red– “In the middle of” the action3. Serious tone

• Not necessary to have all on these, but need most at least

Possible OER• Evaluate a story you’ve read or seen as an epic

story.– O! Brother, Where Art Thou?

• Epic hero– Ulysses Everett McGill• Quest– To seek the treasure• Valorous deeds– Singing the song, escaping the sheriff,

saving Tommy from the KKK, et al.• Divine intervention– the flood • Great events– Helping elect Pappy O’Daniel as governor of

Mississippi instead of the KKK head dragon• Literary epic– Cohen brothers wrote it in 2001• Invokes a muse at the beginning• Begins in the middle of the story as they escape jail• Serious tone? Notsomuch.

Beowulf’s Name • Beowulf’s father– Edgetho

– In most cases, the son is named after the father • Don• Donald (son of Don)• McDonald (son of son of Don)• McDonaldson (son of son of son of Don)

• Proves Beowulf is own individual with own powers and abilities (and more important than his father)

• Beo– Bear– Bears are known as Great Protectors in Norse mythology– Strong

• Wulf– Wolf– Wolves are also great protectors, but are also cunning and

speedy