BeowulfIntroducingtheEpicLiteraryFocus:TheEpicHeroThePoetryofBeowulf:Caesuras,Alliteration,andKenningsFeatureMenuBeowulfthefirstgreatworkofEnglishnationalliterature.theepicstoryoftheheroBeowulf,whofightsthedemonicmonsterGrendel.

BeowulfisBeowulf

IntroducingtheEpicBeowulf

IntroducingtheEpicBeowulf:nephewofHiglac,kingoftheGeats.Hrothgar:kingoftheDanes.Wiglaf:aGeatwarrior,oneofBeowulf’sselectbandandtheonlyonetohelphiminhisfinalfightwiththedragon.PeopleBeowulf

IntroducingtheEpicGrendel:man-eatingmonsterwholivesatthebottomofafoulmere,ormountainlake.MonstersGrendel’smother:water-witchwhoseeksrevenge.Dragon:giantfire-breathingserpentwhomBeowulffightsinPartTwooftheepic.BeowulftakesplaceinScandinavia.PlacesScholarsthinkHerotmighthavebeenbuiltonthecoastofZealand,inDenmark.ScandinaviaBritainBeowulf

IntroducingtheEpicPlacesHerot:thegoldenguesthallbuiltbyKingHrothgarwherewarriorsgatheredtocelebrate.[EndofSection]Beowulf

IntroducingtheEpicTheepicheroisthecentralfigureinalongnarrativethatreflectsthevaluesandheroicidealsofaparticularsociety.Anepicisaqueststoryonagrandscale.Beowulf

LiteraryFocus:TheEpicHeroBeowulf

LiteraryFocus:TheEpicHeroBeowulfisoneofancientEngland’sheroes.KingArthurJoanofArcOthertimesandothercultureshavehadotherheroes.InmodernAmerica,theheromaybearealpersonorafictionalcharacter.

Beowulf

LiteraryFocus:TheEpicHero[EndofSection]BeowulfwascomposedinOldEnglish,whichusesacaesura,

orrhythmicpause,tocreateunity.eacomofmore

undermisthleotum

Grendelgongan,

godesyrreb?r;

myntesemanscaea

mannacynnes

sumnebesyrwan

inseletamhean.Linedividedintotwopartsbyacaesura.Locatethecaesuraintheselines:

Beowulf

ThePoetryofBeowulfHerearethesamelinesinmodernEnglishfrom

BurtonRaffel’stranslation:

Outfromthemarsh,fromthefootofmistyHillsandbogs,bearingGod’shatred,Grendelcame,hopingtokillAnyonehecouldtraponthistriptohighHerot.Punctuationreproducespauseeffectofthecaesura.Beowulf

ThePoetryofBeowulfTheAnglo-Saxonoralpoetalsousedthepoeticdeviceofalliteration.Grendel

gongan,

godesyrreb?r;

mynte

se

manscaea

manna

cynnes

Beowulf

ThePoetryofBeowulfAlliteration:therepetitionofconsonantsoundsinwordsclosetogether.Theemphasisonthew

soundinthislinefromShakespeare’sSonnet30createsamelancholytone.And

with

old

woes

newwailmydear

time’s

waste.Beowulf

ThePoetryofBeowulfFindexamplesofalliterationinBurtonRaffel’stranslationoflines1-5:

Outfromthemarsh,fromthefootofmistyHillsandbogs,bearingGod’shatred,Grendelcame,hopingtokillAnyonehecouldtraponthistriptohigh Herot.Beowulf

ThePoetryofBeowulfFindexamplesofalliterationinBurtonRaffel’stranslationoflines1-5:

Outfrom

the

marsh,

from

the

foot

of

mistyHills

and

bogs,

bearing

God’s

hatred,Grendelcame,hopingtokillAnyonehecouldtraponthistriptohighHerot.Beowulf

ThePoetryofBeowulfThekenning

isanotherpoeticdevicethatwasusedbytheoralpoet.ExamplesofkenningsfromBeowulf:gold-shining

hall=Herotguardianofcrime

=Grendelstrong-heartedwakefulsleeper

=Beowulfcave-guard

and

sky-bornefoe

=dragonBeowulf

ThePoetryofBeowulfswan-road,whale-path都是sea的意思，都是kenningmetonymy轉喻，借代如drinkthewarmsouth是喝酒的意思，英國南方氣候濕潤，盛產(chǎn)葡萄，所以warmsouth代指酒，酒的特點和南方的特點之間的聯(lián)系體會一下再一個，lobsters代指美國士兵，因為美國士兵的臉是紅色的Kenning:ametaphoricalphraseorcompoundwordusedtonameaperson,place,thing,oreventindirectly.Akenningenhancestheliteralmeaningofthewords.Akenninggivesthelisteneranideaofhowthewordsconnecttoanideaorconceptthatisricherandmoreemotionallycomplex.Beowulf

ThePoetryofBeowulfCreatemodern-daykenningsforthingsyouseearoundyou.giverofwordsword-wand????[EndofSection]Beowulf

ThePoetryofBeowulfBeowulfisanoralepicpassedfrombardtobard.Harpist-bards

toldthe

familiarstoryforaudiencesinthecommunalhallsatnight.ReconstructedAnglo-SaxonvillageinWestStow,England,withcommunalhallontheleft.

Writtendownbetween700and750.

Beowulf

BackgroundWhowroteitdown?scenerydescribedresemblesNorthumbria(northeasternEngland)Theory:ThepoetwhowroteBeowulfdownmayhavebeenaNorthumbrianmonk.Evidence:

Christianelementsinepic[EndofSection]Beowulf

BackgroundQuickwriteMaketheConnectionWriteaboutacontemporaryhero,realorfictional,andthechallengesheorshefaces.Describeyourhero,andthenbrieflyanalyzehimorherusingthesequestions:Whatsortofeviloroppressiondoesyourheroconfront?Whydoesheorsheconfrontevil?What’sthemotivation?Forwhomdoesyourheroconfrontevil?Whatvirtuesdoesyourherorepresent?[EndofSection]Beowulf

QuickwriteVocabularyPreviewingtheVocabularyresolute

adj.:determined.vehemently

adv.:violentlyinfallible

adj.:unabletofailorbewrongfurled

v.:rolledup.lavish

adj.:extravagantassailv.:attackextolled