Post by Andorinha on Jan 15, 2009 11:32:06 GMT -6
Beowulf ARCHIVE: Introduction to Beowulf and Syllabus
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Message 1 of 12 in Discussion
From: Stormrider (Original Message)
Sent: 10/16/2002 10:04 PM
The Introduction and Syllabus for the Beowulf study is now "LIVE" You can access it either by the left hand navigation bar or the link below:
Click for Beowulf
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Message 2 of 12 in Discussion
Sent: 10/17/2002 10:08 AM
This message has been deleted by the author.
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Message 3 of 12 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 10/17/2002 10:15 AM
Welcome to the Beowulf Study!
I need to make an addition to the Introduction. I suggested reading "Why Read Beowulf?" by Robert F. Yeager. The web address is:
www.neh.gov/news/humanities/1999-03/yeager.html
I will be posting various threads on subjects and themes I found of interest; please feel free to post your own threads as we proceed!!
Happy reading!
Zauber
__________________________________________
Reply
Message 4 of 12 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 10/17/2002 11:17 AM
We'll start officially posting for the Beowulf study on Monday; the threads so far are just to give you more things to think about.
Zauber
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Message 5 of 12 in Discussion
From: Glorfindle
Sent: 10/17/2002 7:52 PM
Should you need resources for Beowulf, printed or on Multi-media, please access the new list called "Beowulf and Tolkien Inspiration". Should you need a tome not listed, send me the data, and I will post how to get it.
Glor
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Message 6 of 12 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 10/18/2002 5:57 AM
Neat-o, Glor! I have the David Wright, Seamus Heaney, and Burton Raffel editions of Beowulf. I highly recommend the Seamus Heaney book! MusicMom told me about that one, and it is wonderful. Now, I am tempted to get the audio tapes!!
Thanks for these links, Glor. Zauber
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Message 7 of 12 in Discussion
From: Amaranth
Sent: 10/19/2002 2:09 AM
Thanks, Glor and Zauber! Everything's hunky-dory. Links are working, Slade's hypertext is very helpful and, shock of shocks, I actually understand Heaney's translation! Most of it, anyway. I love the kennings: "whale road" means "sea" and such.
You can delete this if you want. Just wanted you to know I'm here and it's all good.
Diana
_____________________________________
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Message 8 of 12 in Discussion
From: CathyL
Sent: 10/20/2002 1:59 PM
Hi Beowulfians,
I have the Seamus Heaney translation in a Norton Critical edition which has a long excerpt from Tolkien's classic article. And I got Heaney on CD. Awesome. This is going to be so cool. Thanks for all the work putting it together.
CathyL
____________________________________
Reply
Message 9 of 12 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 10/22/2002 6:45 AM
CathyL, it would be great if you could share insights and information from the Tolkien article on Beowulf. I have a pre-ordered copy I am waiting for but it has yet to arrive. Other copies are way out of my price range.
Seamus Heaney is going to be giving a reading at Goucher College (In Baltimore, Maryland) this Thursday evening. I am trying to find out if any tickets are still available.
Zauber
_______________________________________
Reply
Message 10 of 12 in Discussion
From: CathyL
Sent: 10/22/2002 6:09 PM
I've barely started the Tolkien article excerpt, monograph is probably more accurate, published in Proceedings of the British Academy, 1936. He proposes to focus on the monsters, Grendel and the Dragon, hence his title, "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics." His contention is that Beowulf has been studied as an exercise in history, mythology, philology, folklore, the heroic legend, and archaeology, but not as poetry. Here's a really interesting excerpt in support of his proposal to look at the work as, above all, a poem.
"...Beowulf is, in fact, so interesting as poetry, in places poetry so powerful, that this quite overshadows the historical content, and is largely independent even of the most important historical facts (such as the date and identity of Hygelac) that research has discovered....The illusion of historical truth and perspective, that has made Beowulf seem such an attractive quarry, is largely a product of art. The author has used an instinctive historical sense-- a part indeed of the ancient English temper (and not unconnected with its reputed melancholy), of which Beowulf is a supreme expression; but he has used it with a poetical and not an historical object. The lovers of poetry can safely study the art, but the seekers after history must beware lest the glamour of Poesis oversome them."
I find this really interesting in light of his own art. More to come.
Cathy
__________________________________________
Reply
Message 11 of 12 in Discussion
From: CathyL
Sent: 10/22/2002 6:12 PM
Now that I've hit the "send message" button, I'm wondering if we need a thread for Tolkien's article and other critical studies. Feel free to move this or whatever.
Cathy
____________________________________
Reply
Message 12 of 12 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 10/24/2002 7:40 AM
Glor, or another manager -- could you please set this up as another thread? If possible; it would be handy!
Thanks for this CathyL. I particularly was struck by "The illusion of historical truth and perspective, that has made Beowulf such as attractive quarry." I think JRRT certainly mastered the illusion, with Middle Earth extending so deep into time, and I am so very impressed by the 'jewels' he recovered from the 'quarry' of Beowulf.
Zauber
______________________________________
Reply
Message 1 of 12 in Discussion
From: Stormrider (Original Message)
Sent: 10/16/2002 10:04 PM
The Introduction and Syllabus for the Beowulf study is now "LIVE" You can access it either by the left hand navigation bar or the link below:
Click for Beowulf
__________________________________________
Reply
Message 2 of 12 in Discussion
Sent: 10/17/2002 10:08 AM
This message has been deleted by the author.
______________________________________
Reply
Message 3 of 12 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 10/17/2002 10:15 AM
Welcome to the Beowulf Study!
I need to make an addition to the Introduction. I suggested reading "Why Read Beowulf?" by Robert F. Yeager. The web address is:
www.neh.gov/news/humanities/1999-03/yeager.html
I will be posting various threads on subjects and themes I found of interest; please feel free to post your own threads as we proceed!!
Happy reading!
Zauber
__________________________________________
Reply
Message 4 of 12 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 10/17/2002 11:17 AM
We'll start officially posting for the Beowulf study on Monday; the threads so far are just to give you more things to think about.
Zauber
___________________________________
Reply
Message 5 of 12 in Discussion
From: Glorfindle
Sent: 10/17/2002 7:52 PM
Should you need resources for Beowulf, printed or on Multi-media, please access the new list called "Beowulf and Tolkien Inspiration". Should you need a tome not listed, send me the data, and I will post how to get it.
Glor
___________________________________
Reply
Message 6 of 12 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 10/18/2002 5:57 AM
Neat-o, Glor! I have the David Wright, Seamus Heaney, and Burton Raffel editions of Beowulf. I highly recommend the Seamus Heaney book! MusicMom told me about that one, and it is wonderful. Now, I am tempted to get the audio tapes!!
Thanks for these links, Glor. Zauber
_____________________________________
Reply
Message 7 of 12 in Discussion
From: Amaranth
Sent: 10/19/2002 2:09 AM
Thanks, Glor and Zauber! Everything's hunky-dory. Links are working, Slade's hypertext is very helpful and, shock of shocks, I actually understand Heaney's translation! Most of it, anyway. I love the kennings: "whale road" means "sea" and such.
You can delete this if you want. Just wanted you to know I'm here and it's all good.
Diana
_____________________________________
Reply
Message 8 of 12 in Discussion
From: CathyL
Sent: 10/20/2002 1:59 PM
Hi Beowulfians,
I have the Seamus Heaney translation in a Norton Critical edition which has a long excerpt from Tolkien's classic article. And I got Heaney on CD. Awesome. This is going to be so cool. Thanks for all the work putting it together.
CathyL
____________________________________
Reply
Message 9 of 12 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 10/22/2002 6:45 AM
CathyL, it would be great if you could share insights and information from the Tolkien article on Beowulf. I have a pre-ordered copy I am waiting for but it has yet to arrive. Other copies are way out of my price range.
Seamus Heaney is going to be giving a reading at Goucher College (In Baltimore, Maryland) this Thursday evening. I am trying to find out if any tickets are still available.
Zauber
_______________________________________
Reply
Message 10 of 12 in Discussion
From: CathyL
Sent: 10/22/2002 6:09 PM
I've barely started the Tolkien article excerpt, monograph is probably more accurate, published in Proceedings of the British Academy, 1936. He proposes to focus on the monsters, Grendel and the Dragon, hence his title, "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics." His contention is that Beowulf has been studied as an exercise in history, mythology, philology, folklore, the heroic legend, and archaeology, but not as poetry. Here's a really interesting excerpt in support of his proposal to look at the work as, above all, a poem.
"...Beowulf is, in fact, so interesting as poetry, in places poetry so powerful, that this quite overshadows the historical content, and is largely independent even of the most important historical facts (such as the date and identity of Hygelac) that research has discovered....The illusion of historical truth and perspective, that has made Beowulf seem such an attractive quarry, is largely a product of art. The author has used an instinctive historical sense-- a part indeed of the ancient English temper (and not unconnected with its reputed melancholy), of which Beowulf is a supreme expression; but he has used it with a poetical and not an historical object. The lovers of poetry can safely study the art, but the seekers after history must beware lest the glamour of Poesis oversome them."
I find this really interesting in light of his own art. More to come.
Cathy
__________________________________________
Reply
Message 11 of 12 in Discussion
From: CathyL
Sent: 10/22/2002 6:12 PM
Now that I've hit the "send message" button, I'm wondering if we need a thread for Tolkien's article and other critical studies. Feel free to move this or whatever.
Cathy
____________________________________
Reply
Message 12 of 12 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 10/24/2002 7:40 AM
Glor, or another manager -- could you please set this up as another thread? If possible; it would be handy!
Thanks for this CathyL. I particularly was struck by "The illusion of historical truth and perspective, that has made Beowulf such as attractive quarry." I think JRRT certainly mastered the illusion, with Middle Earth extending so deep into time, and I am so very impressed by the 'jewels' he recovered from the 'quarry' of Beowulf.
Zauber