Beowulf

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Beowulf

Postby Linksquest » Sun Sep 25, 2005 10:56 pm

I have just discovered the awsomeness of this classic masterpiece! I absolutely love the poetic imagery in it!

"Cheerful the man able to look to the Lord at his death-day, to find peace in the Father's embrace"~lines 186-188 in the "New Verse Translation"

I am not finished with it yet, but i was pleasantly surprised. We have to read it for AP english, so i was expecting it to be boring... but... it is amazing! :thumb:

and there are references to Giants and Elves and Dragons... and there are Kings! and Ships! XD i love it!!!!!!!!!!
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Postby Warrior 4 Jesus » Sun Sep 25, 2005 11:43 pm

I tried reading it and couldn't understand the old English too well. I know this was a huge influence on Tolkien though.
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Postby Technomancer » Mon Sep 26, 2005 5:11 am

Warrior 4 Jesus wrote:I tried reading it and couldn't understand the old English too well. I know this was a huge influence on Tolkien though.


There are modern english translations, I don't think too many people read the original Anglo-Saxon version.

While it's a great story (I loved it when I was a kid), you might also be interested in reading John Gardner's 'Grendel', which offers an intriguing retelling of the story.
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.

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Postby ChristianKitsune » Mon Sep 26, 2005 5:31 am

Ahhh just finished reading this last week in my English Class... Sad thing is..we high school students don't get teh entire story..-.- only like 800 lines of the 3200 lines...WHAAAAAA!

Anyway.. I so passed the test on this puppy. WOOOOOOOT!

Good Story...actually...not so keen on all the mixings with Pagan and Christian Elements..but...meh.. I like the fact that they use Kennings and Caesuras as well as Alliterations... that made the story flow better..

I wonder if Beowulf is ever made into an anime, will they make him look all Bishonen or not....*hmmmm...*
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Postby TurkishMonky » Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:09 am

So CR, were you able to read the Dragon part of the story? (last part, where b. dies) if you don't, look it up. that's the best part of the story. The mixings are because it is a "christian" storyteller telling a pagan story... so he adds in stuff about God's will, but the characters in the story are basically pagans, with little christian influence.

anywho, Wiglaf is my favorite character in the story (the knight who helps b with the dragon)
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Postby Myoti » Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:45 am

I'm reading a modern translation of the story (tried reading the original before, too... much... @.@ ), and I just got to the part where Grendel's arm gets ripped off. XP

It is really good, though. I thought I would have been bored with it, but the author of this version managed to do it well without really leaving the style of the poem.
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Postby kazekami » Mon Sep 26, 2005 10:06 am

I love this one. I have a bilingual version. Anglo saxon on one side and modern english on the other. I only know a bit of anglo saxon from my History of the english laungague class. We only learned a few words and how to pronounce it. And discussed alphabet differences and sound shifts. Now middle english I can read with only looking up a word here and there. But Anglo saxon, no. So modern English is for me. I'd even take Early modern English such as shakesphere used. But Beowulf is an awsome poem. I read it on my own when I was a sophmore in high school. Got my own copy of the poem which someone borrowed and never returned. My grandma bought me my current hardcover one. I remeber in my seinor english book they actaully talked about Tolkein and Beowulf. Can't remeber entirely what it said. Definetly one of my favorite epic peoms. =D
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Postby CDLviking » Mon Sep 26, 2005 1:32 pm

We read it in our medeival lit class, and I was soon after dubbed Hrothgar, Lord of the Mead Hall.
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Postby kazekami » Mon Sep 26, 2005 6:56 pm

my mom calls my grandma Grendel. heh.
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Postby Linksquest » Mon Sep 26, 2005 7:03 pm

kazekami wrote:my mom calls my grandma Grendel. heh.


o.O! that's so terrible! XD
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I give props to these ANIMEs/MANGAs: GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, AZUMANGA DAIOH, MONSTER, SAILOR MOON SERIES, AKAGE NO ANNE, BOTTLE FAIRY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, PARANOIA AGENT, YAKITATE!! JAPAN, UTAWARERUMONO, KANON, FULL MOON WO SAGASHITE, & YOTSUBA&!

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Postby Mr. SmartyPants » Mon Sep 26, 2005 8:10 pm

I do NOT want to read this... T_T Fantastical stories are bleh for me

BUT my school will probably make us...
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Postby Linksquest » Mon Sep 26, 2005 8:43 pm

Mr. SmartyPants wrote:I do NOT want to read this... T_T Fantastical stories are bleh for me

BUT my school will probably make us...


so you posted... because? LOl... i love it!!! nooooo! fantastical stuff is amazing!
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I give props to these ANIMEs/MANGAs: GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, AZUMANGA DAIOH, MONSTER, SAILOR MOON SERIES, AKAGE NO ANNE, BOTTLE FAIRY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, PARANOIA AGENT, YAKITATE!! JAPAN, UTAWARERUMONO, KANON, FULL MOON WO SAGASHITE, & YOTSUBA&!

LINKSQUEST's PASSIONS are: READING (especially books by authors: Lois Lowry, L.M. Montgomery, Ray Bradbury, C.S. Lewis) WRITING, SINGING, ACTING, COMPOSING, PIANO, PHOTOGRAPHY, ART, COOKING, MYST series, ZELDA series,OLD TIME RADIO , New Time Radio, SPANISH, LANGUAGES, and the list goes on.
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Postby CDLviking » Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:10 pm

Yeah, it should be Grendel's mother.
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Postby Rachel » Wed Sep 28, 2005 3:10 pm

We had to read the last part of this in my english class and I really liked it. I was glad he died.
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Postby Linksquest » Wed Sep 28, 2005 3:42 pm

Rachel wrote:We had to read the last part of this in my english class and I really liked it. I was glad he died.

<<;;; why? ehh... o.O!!!
DO YOU FLY FOR FUN?!

I give props to these ANIMEs/MANGAs: GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, AZUMANGA DAIOH, MONSTER, SAILOR MOON SERIES, AKAGE NO ANNE, BOTTLE FAIRY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, PARANOIA AGENT, YAKITATE!! JAPAN, UTAWARERUMONO, KANON, FULL MOON WO SAGASHITE, & YOTSUBA&!

LINKSQUEST's PASSIONS are: READING (especially books by authors: Lois Lowry, L.M. Montgomery, Ray Bradbury, C.S. Lewis) WRITING, SINGING, ACTING, COMPOSING, PIANO, PHOTOGRAPHY, ART, COOKING, MYST series, ZELDA series,OLD TIME RADIO , New Time Radio, SPANISH, LANGUAGES, and the list goes on.
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Postby Technomancer » Wed Sep 28, 2005 5:18 pm

Mr. SmartyPants wrote:I do NOT want to read this... T_T Fantastical stories are bleh for me

BUT my school will probably make us...


Well, it's kind of the foundation of English literature.
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.

Neil Postman
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Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge

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Postby kazekami » Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:23 am

CDLviking wrote:Yeah, it should be Grendel's mother.


heh heh thats true.
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Azier the Swordsman, Sakura's Wings(kitty form), Sora(kingdom Hearts), Squall Leonhart(FFVIII and KH), Li Syaoran(Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles),
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I like swords. They are nice and shiny and sharp. :jump:

I Love
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Postby Linksquest » Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:15 pm

Technomancer wrote:Well, it's kind of the foundation of English literature.


ROFL. So true. XD. Tech... that was hilarious!
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I give props to these ANIMEs/MANGAs: GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, AZUMANGA DAIOH, MONSTER, SAILOR MOON SERIES, AKAGE NO ANNE, BOTTLE FAIRY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, PARANOIA AGENT, YAKITATE!! JAPAN, UTAWARERUMONO, KANON, FULL MOON WO SAGASHITE, & YOTSUBA&!

LINKSQUEST's PASSIONS are: READING (especially books by authors: Lois Lowry, L.M. Montgomery, Ray Bradbury, C.S. Lewis) WRITING, SINGING, ACTING, COMPOSING, PIANO, PHOTOGRAPHY, ART, COOKING, MYST series, ZELDA series,OLD TIME RADIO , New Time Radio, SPANISH, LANGUAGES, and the list goes on.
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Postby mitsuki lover » Thu Sep 29, 2005 2:20 pm

I have a copy that explains some of the names and relationships at the back of the book also a couple charts showing various family trees.
The whole adventure takes place in the region around southern Sweden and Denmark.
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Postby SnowLeopard » Mon Oct 24, 2005 12:45 pm

I LOOOVVED this book. It gave me a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach, like I was intruding on a haunted house, and one of the ghosts was telling me the story.
Sounds silly, but it's true.
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Postby Godly Paladin » Mon Oct 24, 2005 2:17 pm

Doesn't Beowulf end with a multiple-page run-on sentence?
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Postby Shadowchild » Mon Oct 24, 2005 2:20 pm

My mother read this book to me when I was little. I loved it. I used to have the tape to it but I seem to have misplaced it...
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Postby mitsuki lover » Tue Oct 25, 2005 6:52 pm

Might depend on what modern version you read.The one I have has a name glossary and family trees of the main characters at the back.
The Geats were from southern Sweden.
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