Public Libraries of Suffolk County, New York

Beowulf, a new translation for oral delivery, by Dick Ringler

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-188)

illustrationsmaps

no index present

non fiction

Beowulf

bibliography

by Dick Ringler

"Dick Ringler's deceptively simple translation captures the rhythm, movement, and power of the original Old English poem while employing a fluid modern English style and a relatively spare vocabulary. A steady succession and alternation of various verse types and sub types together with recurring alliteration patterns give this translation a remarkable momentum, one that makes it ideal for experiencing either silently or aloud." "Typographically, the text is set as a column of "single verses" rather than the "long lines" (pairs of verses separated by a medial caesura) that most readers of Beowulf are accustomed to. This innovation - actually a reversion to an older style of layout - highlights the metrical contours of the verses and facilitates ease of reading; it also makes immediately apparent the interplay among the text's variously indented "normal," "light," and "heavy" verses." "Ringler's generous Introduction, a lively yet masterly guide to the work, along with his translations of three shorter Old English poems ("The Fight at Finnsburg," "The Wanderer" [re-titled "A Meditation"], and "Deor") elucidate a major English text almost as well-known for its subtlety and intricacy as it is for its monsters and heroes."--BOOK JACKET

a new translation for oral delivery

About the cover art -- Prefatory note -- Map -- Introduction -- The story -- Oral and written Beowulfs -- Legend and lore -- Narrative strategies and structures -- The hero -- Christianity and the problem of violence -- The poet -- The meter of the translation -- Appendix -- Beowulf -- People and places in Beowulf -- Three shorter Old English poems -- The fight at Finnsburg -- A meditation -- "Deor" -- Suggestions for further reading