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An Introduction to Beowulf: Language and Poetics - ReadWriteThink

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An Introduction to Beowulf: Language and Poetics - ReadWriteThink

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ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, videos, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you.

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Grades

11 - 12

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Standard Lesson

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Two 50-minute sessions

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Featured Resources From Theory to Practice
OVERVIEW

This lesson provides an introduction to the language and poetics of the epic poem Beowulf. Although this lesson assumes students will read Beowulf in translation, it introduces students to the poem's original Old English and explains the relationship between Old, Middle, and Modern English. Students are introduced to the five characters in the Old English alphabet that are no longer used in Modern English. As a class, they translate a short, simple phrase from Old English, and then listen to a passage from the poem being read in Old English. Next, students are introduced to some poetic devices important to Beowulf. They learn about alliteration by reading an excerpt from W. H. Auden's modern English poem "The Age of Anxiety," then listen for alliteration in the Old English version of a passage from Beowulf. Finally, students explore the poetic functions of kennings, compounds, and formulas in Beowulf.
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FEATURED RESOURCES
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Beowulf: Language and Poetics Quick Reference Sheet: This reproducible provides information about the difference between Old, Middle, and Modern English, as well as poetic devices found in Beowulf.

Literary Guide: Beowulf: This online tool can serve as an introduction to Beowulf, presenting information about the poem's significance as well as an overview of the story.

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE
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Gillis argues that when we teach literature we often don't do so without teaching its background, its historical, philosophical, and environmental context. When teaching literature in translation, he argues, if we fail to consider the original language and stylistic features of that piece, then we have not taught all the background necessary for our students to have a full understanding of that literary work, even if we are not experts in that language. The purpose behind introducing students to the original language and style will foreground for them that they are reading a translation, which at its best can only give us "an inkling" of the original work.

Further Reading

Gillis, William. "Teaching Literature in Translation." College English 22.3 (December 1960): 186-87.

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An Introduction to Beowulf: Language and Poetics - ReadWriteThink

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ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, videos, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you. Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.

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A host of heroes - April Gudenrath | TED-Ed

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A host of heroes - April Gudenrath | TED-Ed

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Northrop Frye, working in the field of literature, defined an archetype as a symbol, usually an image, which recurs often enough in literature to be recognizable as an element of one's literary experience as a whole. Another way of thinking about archetypes is to imagine that in some way it is possible to plot the important aspects of a story onto a graph. If enough points from several stories were plotted a pattern would start to appear. If one then drew a line that approximated the pattern that emerged in the points, that best fit line would be an archetype. No story perfectly matches the archetype, and some stories will diverge from the archetype more than others. Still, recognizing that a pattern exists can be a powerful tool in understanding and comparing literature.
Read Northrop Frye's The Anatomy of Criticism.
Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 - October 30, 1987) was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience. His philosophy is often summarized by his phrase: "Follow your bliss."
What trials unite not only Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins but many of literature's most interesting heroes? And what do ordinary people have in common with these literary heroes? Matthew Winkler takes us step-by-step through the crucial events that make or break a hero.
How can an anti-hero teach us about the heroic--and sometimes, the unheroic--characteristics that shape a story's protagonist? From jealousy to self-doubt, Tim Adams challenges us to consider how anti-heroes reflect the very mortal weaknesses that can be found within all of us.

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What can some of literature's most famous heroes teach us? From the epic hero (like Beowulf) to the tragic hero (like Oedipus), each has something distinctive to share. April Gudenrath describes the many faces of the fictional hero -- and shows how they can inspire everyday people.

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How did English evolve? - Kate Gardoqui | TED-Ed

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How did English evolve? - Kate Gardoqui | TED-Ed

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This is a great story. But really, I made it sound way more simple than it really is. You probably have some questions already, if you're a critical sort of person. Like:
If the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Friesians all conquered areas of Celtic Britain, why is it that England is called England (which comes from Angle-land, the Land of the Angles) and not Saxonland or Juteland?
If Old English has not been spoken since before the twelfth century, how do we know what it sounded like?
When and how did Old English become the modern language that we speak today?
Clearly, there is way more to it. Here are some resources that you can use to explore it further:
The British Library has many great resources connected with the evolution of the English language and with the earliest complete work of literature in old English, the epic poem Beowulf. Click on this link to hear recordings of Old English and to examine texts in Old Engslish: http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/changlang/activities/lang/beowulf/beowulfpage1.html
This link will bring you to an interactive timeline of the English language starting in the year 1000: http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/timeline/index.html
This link contains a wealth of information about the development of English, along with recordings of people reading texts in Old and Middle English: http://www.1066andallthat.com/english_old.asp
If you want to read about this subject in depth, I recommend Bill Bryson's book, English and How It Got That Way, or The Story of English by Robert McCrum, William Cran, and Robert MacNeil. The PBS series entitled The Story of English is also a great resource.
This is the quote from Simeon Potter which inspired the visual exercise at the beginning of the lecture: "English and French expressions [in English] may have similar denotations but slightly different connotations and associations. Generally the English words are stronger, more physical, and more human. We feel more at ease after getting a hearty welcome than after being granted a cordial reception. Compare freedom with liberty, friendship with amity, kingship with royalty, holiness with sanctity, happiness with felicity, depth with profundity, and love with charity." (Simeon Potter, Our Language, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1950/66, pp. 37-38.)
Wiktionary.org provides a lengthy list of English words with French origins. (You can find the list here: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Transwiki:List_of_English_words_of_French_origin). Spend some time perusing the list; then take a look at this list of modern English words with Saxon origins: http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/words/sax.htm. Find some sets of synonyms, compare them, and see if Potter's assessment that the English words feel "stronger, more physical, and more human" seems accurate to you. Which examples prove or disprove his assertion?

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This is a great story. But really, I made it sound way more simple than it really is. You probably have some questions already, if you're a critical sort of person.

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Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for.

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Animated Epics: BEOWULF (1998) TV Movie [360p] HQ - Classic animation - YouTube

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Animated Epics: BEOWULF (1998) TV Movie [360p] HQ - Classic animation - YouTube

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Animated Epics: BEOWULF (1998) TV Movie [360p] HQ - Classic animation

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From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes Beowulf Study Guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays.

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BBC - History - British History in depth: British History Timeline

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BBC - History - British History in depth: British History Timeline