Reading an essay by J. R. R. Tolkien on Beowulf, and these lines made me think of Matt Brown & Peter McCrory & Evan Donovan, both for the whimsy and for the point. (Translation follows) "But it is plainly only in the consideration of Beowulf as a poem, with an inherent poetic significance, that any view or conviction can be reached or steadily held. For it is of their nature that the jabberwocks of historical and antiquarian research burble in the tulgy wood of conjecture, flitting from one tum-tum tree to another. Noble animals, whose burbling is on occasion good to hear; but though their eyes of flame may sometimes prove searchlights, their range is short." (Translation: It makes more sense to consider Beowulf as a POEM rather than a historical artifact [as most critics used to do]. Those who study it for what it can tell us about its historical context might turn up something valuable, but they more often end up just making guesses and speculations and missing the overall point and purpose.)
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 18:30:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015