Book XXIII:
It was convenient that I did a month of Tolkien earlier in the year and had a copy of his translation of Beowulf handy for Epic Summer. Normally, I would waste no time talking about specific translations or editions. Not because those things aren’t interesting or worth talking about, but rather to remain on purpose in this series of reviews by sticking to the content itself and maybe speak a bit about the author. In this case, however, translation is the deepest layer we can speak to the author since the author is altogether unknown. This creates a mystique to Beowulf seldom seen in celebrated literature right off the bat. Like you’re reading something ancient and nearly lost…
For Epic Summer, I wanted to explore just a couple of actual, genuine, bona fide epics. Beowulf was not written in English, well, not in an English you and I would recognize immediately. As such, there are challenges related to making a poem originally in a language different than our own work which are not present in prose. Luckily, a feature of Old English poetry that works rather well with Modern English is alliteration. Tolkien (and other translators) have understood this and have made sure not only to preserve the meaning but the alliterative style that makes English poetry stand out from the romanticized emphasis on rhyme.
The story itself is quite simple with the Danes being harassed by the monster Grendel, our titular hero, the Geat Beowulf rises to the occasion of confronting the monster. It is a little more complex than that but I do not wish to spoil anything. Beowulf to me, however, is better as an academic and historic piece. The narrative is not much but the writing itself is superb and the fact that we don’t know who wrote it makes that a bit tragic. Even so I recognize Beowulf isn’t for everyone. If you don’t have a large tolerance for poetry, I can’t recommend it.
Up Next: The Odyssey (Homer; 8th Century BC)
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