The most revered work composed in Old English,Beowulfis one of the landmarks of European literature. This handbook supplies a wealth of insights into all major aspects of this wondrous poem and its scholarly tradition. Each chapter provides a history of the scholarly interest in a particular topic, a synthesis of present knowledge and opinion, and an analysis of scholarly work that remains to be done. Written to accommodate the needs of a broad audience,A Beowulf Handbookwill be of value to nonspecialists who wish simply to read and enjoy Beowulf and to scholars at work on their own research. In its clear and comprehensive treatment of the poem and its scholarship, this book will prove an indispensable guide to readers and specialists for many years to come.

The most revered work composed in Old English, Beowulf is one of the landmarks of European literature. This handbook supplies a wealth of insights into all major aspects of this wondrous poem and its scholarly tradition. Each chapter provides a history of the scholarly interest in a particular topic, a synthesis of present knowledge and opinion, and an analysis of scholarly work that remains to be done. Written to accommodate the needs of a broad audience, A Beowulf Handbook will be of value to nonspecialists who wish simply to read and enjoy Beowulf and to scholars at work on their own research. In its clear and comprehensive treatment of the poem and its scholarship, this book will prove an indispensable guide to readers and specialists for many years to come.

The discovery in Sonderhausen of a fragmentary psalter glossed in Latin and Old English allows fresh inferences to be drawn regarding the study of the psalter in Anglo-Saxon England, and of the transmission of the corpus of vernacular psalter glosses. A detailed textual and palaeographical study of the Wearmouth-Jarrow bibles leads to the exciting possibility that the hand of Bede can be identified, annotating the text of the Bible which he no doubt played an instrumental role in establishing. Two Latin texts from the circle of Archbishop Wulfstan are published here in full, whilst disciplined philological and historical analysis helps to clarify a puzzling reference in 'thelbert's law-code to the early medieval practice of providing food render for the king. Finally, the volume contains two pioneering essays in the histoire des mentalités. The usual comprehensive bibliography of the previous year's publications in all branches of Anglo-Saxon studies rounds off the book.

Anglo-Saxon England is the only publication which consistently embraces all the main aspects of study of Anglo-Saxon history and culture - linguistic, literary, textual, palaeographic, religious, intellectual, historical, archaeological and artistic - and which promotes the more unusual interests - in music or medicine or education, for example. Articles in volume 35 include: Record of the twelfth conference of the International Society of Anglo-Saxonists at Bavarian-American Centre, University of Munich, 1-6 August 2005; Virgil the Grammarian and Bede: a preliminary study; Knowledge of whelk dyes and pigments in Anglo-Saxon England; The representation of the mind as an enclosure in Old English poetry; The origin of the numbered sections in Beowulf and in other Old English poems; An ethnic dating of Beowulf; Hrothgar's horses: feral or thoroughbred?; 'thelthryth of Ely in a lost calendar from Munich; Alfred's epistemological metaphors: eagan modes and scip modes; Bibliography for 2005.

Presents a series of critical essays discussing the structure, themes, and subject matter of the epic poem which relates the exploits of the Anglo-Saxon warrior Beowulf, and how he came to defeat the monster Grendel.

This collection explores Beowulf’s extensive impact on contemporary culture across a wide range of forms. The last 15 years have seen an intensification of scholarly interest in medievalism and reimaginings of the Middle Ages. However, in spite of the growing prominence of medievalism both in academic discourse and popular culture—and in spite of the position Beowulf itself holds in both areas—no study such as this has yet been undertaken. Beowulf in Contemporary Culture therefore makes a significant contribution both to early medieval studies and to our understanding of Beowulf’s continuing cultural impact. It should inspire further research into this topic and medievalist responses to other aspects of early medieval culture. Topics covered here range from film and television to video games, graphic novels, children’s literature, translations, and versions, along with original responses published here for the first time. The collection not only provides an overview of the positions Beowulf holds in the contemporary imagination, but also demonstrates the range of avenues yet to be explored, or even fully acknowledged, in the study of medievalism.

The legendary story of Beowulf comes to us in only one medieval manuscript with no illustrations. Modern comic book and graphic novel artists have created visual interpretations of Beowulf for decades, both illustrating and altering the classic story to pull out new themes. This book examines the growing canon of Beowulf comic books and graphic novels since the 1940s, and shows the remarkable emergence of new traditions--from re-envisioning the medieval look, to creating new plotlines, and even to transforming his identity. While placing Beowulf in a fantastical medieval setting, a techno-dystopia of the future, or modern-day America, artists have appropriated the tale to comment on social issues such as war, environmental issues, masculinity, and consumerism. Whether Beowulf is fighting new monsters or allying with popular comic book superheroes, these artists are creating a new canon of illustration that redefines Beowulf's place in our culture.

Beowulf is by far the most popular text of the medieval world taught in American classrooms, at both the high school and undergraduate levels. More students than ever before wrestle with Grendel in the darkness of Heorot or venture into the dragon’s barrow for gold and glory. This increase of attention and interest in the Old English epic has led to a myriad of new and varying translations of the poem published every year, the production of several mainstream film and television adaptations, and many graphic novel versions. More and more teachers in all sorts of classrooms, with varying degrees of familiarity and training are called upon to bring this ancient poem before their students. This practical guide to teaching Beowulf in the twenty-first century combines scholarly research with pedagogical technique, imparting a picture of how the poem can be taught in contemporary American institutions.

'The Year's Work in Medievalism,' volume XVII, is based upon but not restricted to the 2002 proceedings of the annual International Conference on Medievalism, organized by the Director of Conferences of Studies in Medievalism, Gwendolyn Morgan, and, for 2002, Jesse G. Swan and Richard Utz. It contains eleven essays exploring various representations of the medieval from the Renaissance through contemporary times: Hannah Johnson, The Saint in the Photograph: Sister Marie Gabriel and Another New Middle Ages Mike McKeon, The Postmodern Subject in Early Christian Catacomb Painting Anna Kowalcze, Disregarding the Text: Postmodern Medievalisms and the Readings of John Gardner's Grendel Laura Morowitz, 'Une Guerre Sainte Contre l'Academisme:' Louis Courajod, The Louvre, and the Barbaric Middle Ages Sandra Ballif Straubhaar, A Birth Certificate for Sweden, Packaged for Postmoderns: Jan Guillou's Templar Trilogy Susan Rochette-Crawley, Wholly Ghosts: Genre, Postmodern Transubstantiations, and Flannery O'Connor's 'The Enduring Chill' David Lampe, 'The Accuracies of My Impressions:' Mark Twain, Ford Madox Ford, and Michael Crichton Re-Imagine Chivalry Liliana Sikorska, Mapping the Green Man's Territory in Lindsay Clarke's 'The Chymical Wedding ' A. Keith Kelly, Medieval Movie Madness Hailey Haffey, Dualistic Particulars: How Mystical and Metaphysical Literatures Demand Differentiation of Erotic Profanities Alissa Stickler, The (Mid)Evil Nightmare of Yesterday and Tomorrow: Flagg as the Immortal Monster in Stephen King's 'The Eyes of the Dragon and The Stand.'

Translations of the Old English poem 'Beowulf' proliferate, and their number continues to grow. Focussing on the particularly rich period since 1950, this book presents a critical account of translations in English verse, setting them in the contexts both of the larger story of recovery and reception of the poem and perceptions of it.