Beowulf: A New Prose Translation - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393096874 ISBN 13: 9780393096873

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1966

Synopsis

This book is a highly accurate, new prose translation of the classic Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf.

The greatest and most important of the Anglo-Saxon epic poems, the 1200-year-old Beowulf is one of the earliest pieces of literature in the English language. Though in English, the story is set in Scandinavia, where the Anglo-Saxon races lived before migration to England. It tells of the hero, Beowulf, who kills the monster Grendel after the dragonlike beast terrorizes the mead-halls, carrying off and eating the Thanes that are under Beowulf's protection. Fascinating for its story, the echoes of myth and early religion, Beowulf is critical reading for anyone interested in the blend of the Pagan and Christian traditions among the Anglo-Saxons. This edition is a readable prose translation.

About this title

Review:

The greatest and most important of the Anglo-Saxon epic poems, the 1200-year-old Beowulf is one of the earliest pieces of literature in the English language. Though English, the story is set in Scandinavia, where the Anglo-Saxon races lived before migration to England. It tells of the hero, Beowulf, who kills the monster Grendel after the dragonlike beast terrorizes the mead-halls, carrying off and eating the Thanes that are under Beowulf's protection. Fascinating for its story, the echoes of myth and early religion, Beowulf is critical reading for anyone interested in the blend of the Pagan and Christian traditions among the Anglo-Saxons. This edition is a readable prose translation.

About the Author:

E. Talbot Donaldson was Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Indiana University. His books include Piers Plowman: The C-Text and Its Poets, Chaucer’s Poetry: An Anthology for the Modern Reader, and, with George Kane, the definitive edition of Piers Plowman: The B Version. He was a founding editor of The Norton Anthology of English Literature.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1966
• ISBN 10: 0393096874
• ISBN 13: 9780393096873
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 5
• Number of pages: 58