A Critical Companion to Beowulf

by Andy Orchard

Beowulf is the best known and most closely studied literary work surviving from Anglo-Saxon England, and the modern reader is faced with a bewildering number and variety of interpretations about such basic matters as the date, provenance, and significance of the poem. A Critical Companion to Beowulf addresses these and other issues, reviewing and synthesising previous scholarship, as well as offering fresh perspectives. After an initial introduction to the poem, attention is focused on such matters as the manuscript context and approaches to dating the poem; the particular style, diction, and structure of this most idiosyncratic of Old English texts; the background tothe poem (considered not simply with respect to historical and legendary material, but also in the context of myth and fable); the specific roles of selected individual characters, both major and minor; and the original intendedaudience and perceived purpose of the poem. A final chapter describes the range of critical approaches which have been applied to the poem in the past, and points towards directions for future study.

ANDY ORCHARD is Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon, University of Oxford

Genres: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, Academic, Anglo Saxon

416 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2004

About the author

Andrew Philip McDowell "Andy" Orchard, FRSC, FBA is a British academic in Old English, Norse and Celtic literature. He is Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford.

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most thorough modern introductions to Beowulf that I've ever come across. Well written and well researched. An ideal guide for the beginner and a great reference tool for the more advanced reader of Beowulf.

Orchard's book functions as a guide to scholarship and key ideas and theories in scholarship over the years. The reader is introduced to the history of the manuscript, Christian influence, Germanic parallels and literary criticism of the poem. The book also contains a few very useful appendixes on formulas, a concordance to formulas and then one on the foliation of the manuscript.

If I had to recommend just one book on Beowulf, this would be the one.

[lucy snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

an insightful overview of beowulf, with careful attention to the language and key themes. i particularly enjoyed the words and deeds section - it will be very useful for my essay!

all the appendixes and indexes are so useful - especially the one that indicates every time a specific line has been discussed and analysed!

its a chunky book but well worth the read. it collates much of what has been discussed on beowulf before, conveniently condensing it into one book. a very good place to start with beowulf research.

[Volsung]

Excellent, insightful, /very/ highly recommended.