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 This critical edition of Beowulf and the critics presents both unpublished versions of Tolkien's lecture, each substantially different from the other and from the final, published essay.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. |
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Page 41
... whole course of " Beowulf " criticism maximal and minimal . I never really wished to , and I do not really think it very necessary or desirable . One may assent to Earle's quotation from Dowden " The happiest mo- ment in a critic's ...
... whole course of " Beowulf " criticism maximal and minimal . I never really wished to , and I do not really think it very necessary or desirable . One may assent to Earle's quotation from Dowden " The happiest mo- ment in a critic's ...
Page 83
... whole people . This short summary " says the critic “ does scant justice to the poem . ” Exactly - and why then give it ? It can only be for the benefit ( or delusion ) of people who have never read the poem , and it will not help them ...
... whole people . This short summary " says the critic “ does scant justice to the poem . ” Exactly - and why then give it ? It can only be for the benefit ( or delusion ) of people who have never read the poem , and it will not help them ...
Page 413
... whole ^ poem . & but note at the same time in style & verse or rhythm poem it becomes it becomes a practical more than probable certainty that we have here which has made possible the probable revision Folio 184 [ six lines in ink are ...
... whole ^ poem . & but note at the same time in style & verse or rhythm poem it becomes it becomes a practical more than probable certainty that we have here which has made possible the probable revision Folio 184 [ six lines in ink are ...
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