Beowulf and the CriticsThe most important essay in the history of Beowulf scholarship, J.R.R. Tolkien's "Beowulf: the monsters and the critics" has been much studied and discussed. But scholars of both Beowulf and Tolkien have to this point been unaware that Tolkien's essay was a redaction of a much longer and more substantial work, Beowulf and the critics, which Tolkien wrote in the 1930s and probably delivered as a series of Oxford lectures. This critical edition of Beowulf and the critics presents both unpublished versions of Tolkien's lecture, each substantially different from the other and from the final, published essay. The edition included a description of the manuscript, complete textual and explanatory notes, and a detailed critical introduction that explains the place of Tolkien's Anglo-Saxon scholarship both in the history of Beowulf scholarship and in literary history. |
From inside the book
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Page 1
... Monsters and the Critics " in Literary History It is fair to say and no slur on the profession that scholars of Anglo- - Saxon agree on very , very little beyond that “ it is worth studying ! " The date of Beowulf , the provenance of ...
... Monsters and the Critics " in Literary History It is fair to say and no slur on the profession that scholars of Anglo- - Saxon agree on very , very little beyond that “ it is worth studying ! " The date of Beowulf , the provenance of ...
Page 3
... Monsters and the Critics " as the origin of Beowulf studies , it is a recognized point of origin for modern Beowulf study . Criticism requires origins ; not every discussion of Beowulf can begin with Thorkelin or Wanley , nor must every ...
... Monsters and the Critics " as the origin of Beowulf studies , it is a recognized point of origin for modern Beowulf study . Criticism requires origins ; not every discussion of Beowulf can begin with Thorkelin or Wanley , nor must every ...
Page 400
... monsters had been the foes of the gods , the captains of men , and the monsters would win in time ; and in the heroic siege and last defeat [ underlining in pencil . ] For the monsters also still remained . Folio 167 verso Gods 56 ...
... monsters had been the foes of the gods , the captains of men , and the monsters would win in time ; and in the heroic siege and last defeat [ underlining in pencil . ] For the monsters also still remained . Folio 167 verso Gods 56 ...
Contents
Seeds Soil and Northern | 1 |
Beowulf The Critics A | 31 |
Beowulf The Critics B | 79 |
Copyright | |
5 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
Ælfric allegory allusions ancient Anglo Anglo-Saxon battle Beowulf Cain century Chambers Christian Christopher Tolkien criticism Danes dark death deeds dragon Earle edition England English Literature epic fate Fight at Finnsburg Folio folk-tale Footnote Text Frisian Geats Germanic Godes gods gold Grendel Guthlac heathen hell Heorot hero Heroic Age historical document Hroðgar Hrothgar Hygelac Icelandic Ingeld inserted J. R. R. Tolkien Jusserand King Klaeber language later Latin leaf left margin extends legend literary London Lord main text manuscript medieval metod monsters mythology Northern Old English Old Norse original Oxford pagan passage Paulinus Paulinus of Nola pencil line poet poetic poetry praise quotation reference Saga Saxon says sceal scholars Scyldings Shippey square bracket story tale Teutonic theme things Thorkelin top margin tradition trans translation University Press verse verso Virgil Völuspá W. P. Ker Widsith words written wyrd þæt