Seminar in Literary Interpretation

Beowulf

Perhaps the greatest epic of the early Middle Ages, Beowulf deals with themes of heroism, human nature, and loss; overall it can be considered an attempt to reconcile the pagan culture of an earlier age with the Christian culture of Anglo-Saxon England. The course will involve a slow and carful close reading of Beowulf, as well as an investigation of the significance of the poem to the medievalist and fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien. The latter part of the course will revolve around Tolkien’s own novel, The Two Towers (the second in The Lord of the Rings trilogy); although we will concentrate on only one novel, familiarity with the entire trilogy is recommended. Beowulf will be read in translation.