Directory of Literary Studies Resources

Home > Arts > Literature > World Literature > British > Old English > Beowulf > Literary Studies

A great number of literary and historical studies of the Beowulf poem exist, including online studies. This category lists online studies.

Resources in This Category

• Anthropological and Cultural Approaches to Beowulf

  http://www.heroicage.org/issues/5/toc.html
  Collection of articles from the online journal "The Heroic Age." These articles treat the poem from the standpoint of anthropology and culture studies.

• Beowulf: A National Poem

  http://www.bartleby.com/211/0303.html
  Provides a literary history of the poem. Covers Scandinavian traditions, the personality of the hero, the origin and antiquity of the poem, and the religious element. Also provides a section-by-section summary of the poem.

• Beowulf: An Introduction to the Study of the Poem

  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34117
  A study of Beowulf and the Battle of Finnsburh by R.W. Chambers. Project Gutenberg e-book.

• Christianity in Beowulf

  http://www.shadowedrealm.com/medieval-articles/exclusive/christianity_in_beowulf
  Explains the Christian element in the poem and shows how the Beowulf poet interprets pagan concepts in Christian terms. By Rich Lawson.

• Indogermanic Shruti and Christian Smriti in Beowulf

  http://www.heorot.dk/beowulf-indogermanic.html
  Argues that Beowulf is not in essence a Christian poem, but rather a reflection of the values of a Germanic heroic society. By Benjamin Slade

• Linguistic and Literary Contexts of Beowulf

  http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/middleages/topic_4/welcome.htm
  Studies Beowulf in the context of ancient Germanic literature. Includes images, study questions, and excerpts from related Germanic texts.

• Seamus Heaney on Beowulf

  http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/beowulf/introbeowulf.htm
  An introduction to and interpretation of the Beowulf poem by Seamus Heaney, together with a description of the principles underlying his famous translation of the poem.

• Thinking About Beowulf: Ten Years Later

  http://www.heroicage.org/issues/8/forum.html
  Offers a psychological interpretation of the poem. Expands on the ideas in James W. Earl's book "Thinking about Beowulf." By Eileen A. Joy.

• Warriors, Wyrms, and Wyrd: The Paradoxical Fate of the Germanic Hero/King in Beowulf

  http://www.illinoismedieval.org/ems/VOL16/wanner.html
  Interprets the Beowulf poem in mythological terms. By Kevin J. Wanner.

 

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