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Beowulf
Beowulf
310 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
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83 people want to read
About the author
Raymond Wilson Chambers
47 books8 followersRaymond Wilson Chambers was a British literary scholar, author, and academic; throughout his career he was associated with University College London (UCL).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond...
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 10, 2013
This is one of the most comprehensive studies of Beowulf to ever be published and the title is a little modest because this is far from a beginners introduction to Beowulf, what it actually is is a huge study of the problems that face the academic who is already well versed in Beowulfian studies. The book was designed to be used in conjunction with Chamber's edition of Beowulf, which was sadly overshadowed by Klaeber's text. Fortunately this introduction has faired a little better and attained something of a legendary status amongst readers of Beowulf.
This introduction came in for some friendly criticism by Tolkien in his Monsters and The Critics lectures because it didn't contain a section on the poetic artistry used in Beowulf. Nevertheless, everything else is covered from the ethnic identity of the tribes and characters mentioned in the poem to Norse parallel material. Unfortunately, a lot of the parallel passages aren't translated into English but the reader can supplement this by using the English translations in Garmonsway's Beowulf and its Analogues.
This 1959 third edition was revised by C. L. Wrenn and takes into account the research done on the Sutton Hoo ship burial, the publication of Tolkien's groundbreaking Monsters and The Critics lecture and updates the already huge bibliography by adding works published upto 1959.
By modern standards this is a book that is now beginning to show its age, but its historical value far outweighs this and those sufficiently interested in the poem will marvel at the shear weight of scholarship that Chambers brings to bear on the problems associated with the poem.
A word of warning. The first edition of this book is available from various online stores in print and demand format and runs to 454 pages. It is worthwhile to track down the third edition copy that is expanded to an hefty 628 pages and takes into account advances in Beowulf scholarship that occurred during the period between 1921 to 1959.
This introduction came in for some friendly criticism by Tolkien in his Monsters and The Critics lectures because it didn't contain a section on the poetic artistry used in Beowulf. Nevertheless, everything else is covered from the ethnic identity of the tribes and characters mentioned in the poem to Norse parallel material. Unfortunately, a lot of the parallel passages aren't translated into English but the reader can supplement this by using the English translations in Garmonsway's Beowulf and its Analogues.
This 1959 third edition was revised by C. L. Wrenn and takes into account the research done on the Sutton Hoo ship burial, the publication of Tolkien's groundbreaking Monsters and The Critics lecture and updates the already huge bibliography by adding works published upto 1959.
By modern standards this is a book that is now beginning to show its age, but its historical value far outweighs this and those sufficiently interested in the poem will marvel at the shear weight of scholarship that Chambers brings to bear on the problems associated with the poem.
A word of warning. The first edition of this book is available from various online stores in print and demand format and runs to 454 pages. It is worthwhile to track down the third edition copy that is expanded to an hefty 628 pages and takes into account advances in Beowulf scholarship that occurred during the period between 1921 to 1959.
April 29, 2025
Dated. But still the essential starting point for anybody wishing to delve deeper into Beowulf.
October 21, 2018
I don't know if Chambers' Beowulf, An Introduction remains the most comprehensive study of the poem Beowulf, but it certainly is the most comprehensive study I've read. Chambers discusses theories he adheres to and theories he can't support, but he always walks through a step-by-step explanation as to where he stands. One rarely sees such willingness to consider various viewpoints. I discovered Chambers through his text on the poem "Widsith" and having read and reread that book, Chambers has become a familiar voice. He is a delightful scholar and writer.
September 17, 2011
After nearly a hundred years, this book is still the classic study of Beowulf. No serious Beowulf reader can afford to be without a copy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews