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Building Background
The story of Beowulf is not set in England, however, nor are its characters English. The story takes place in Scandinavia, and it involves the Geats, a tribe from southern Sweden, and the Danes, a tribe from Denmark. So, how did Beowulf come to be the first great literary work of England? Beginning in the 400s, Germanic peoples, later known collectively as the Anglo-Saxons, invaded and settled the territory that would become known as England. Wherever they went, stories like Beowulf went with them, passed on from one scop, or oral poet, to another and reshaped with each performance. Scholars believe that an Anglo-Saxon poet thoroughly versed in the scops’ stock of legends, historical accounts, and poetic devices wrote Beowulf sometime between the late 700s and 1000. Literary Devices in Beowulf Anglo-Saxon scops relied on certain poetic devices to aid their memory and give their poems structure and impact. Some of these devices are described in the chart below.
Literary analysis: characteristics of an epic An epic,a long narrative poem that traces the adventures of a great hero, has the power to transport you to another time and place. Beowulf takes you to the Anglo-Saxon period and the land of the Danes and the Geats, where a mighty warrior battles fantastic monsters. As you read the poem, note some of the following characteristics of epic poetry: • The herois a legendary figure who performs deeds requiring incredible courage and strength. • The hero embodies character traitsthat reflect lofty ideals. • The poet uses formal dictionand a serious tone. • The poem reflects timeless values and universal themes. Literary element: conflict Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces in a story or drama. An external conflict exists when a character struggles against some outside force, such as another person or nature. An internal conflict is a struggle within the mind of a character. As you read Beowulf, ask yourself, In what conflicts is the hero involved? Reading strategy: reading Old English poetry Old English poetry is marked by a strong rhythm that is easy to chant or sing. Here are some of the techniques used in an Old English poem: • alliteration,or the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, which helps unify the lines: So mankind’s enemy continued his crimes • caesura, or a pause dividing each line, with each part having two accented syllables; this helps maintain the rhythm of the lines: He took what he wanted, // all the treasures • kenning,a metaphorical compound word or phrase substituted for a noun or name, which enhances meaning—for example, “mankind’s enemy” used in place of “Grendel” As you read Beowulf, note examples of these techniques and consider their effect on rhythm and meaning in the poem. Beowulf
Date: 2016-03-03; view: 1592
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