Perhaps it is an effect of the authors exceptionally fluent style that one comes away wondering who is the audience for this book, which, despite its polemical organiza. Robinsons beowulf and the appositive style john leyerle, the interlace structure of beowulf. An analysis of the epic poem, beowulf the structure of beowulf. Project muse promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. Leyerle develops most fully the significance of the term interlace structure. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. In the following essay, leyerle argues that the structure of beowulf is analogous to the patterns of interlace decorative art common in anglosaxon art of the seventh and eighth centuries. Beowulf summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. With wiglafs help beowulf kills the dragon, but not before he himself is terribly wounded. Beowulf, a hero of the geats, comes to the aid of hrothgar, the king of the danes, whose mead hall in heorot has been under attack by a monster known as grendel. Leyerles discussion of the interlace structure of beowulf adds further credence to the.
The interlace structure of beowulf university of toronto quarterly. Interpretation of beowulf brings together more than six decades of literary scholarship. Each chapter begins with a brief summary of its contents followed by an annotated chronology of the most important books and articles on the particular topic it treats. Beowulf shifts rapidly in terms of place, time with little concern for chronological order. University of toronto press, 1967 beowulf 17 pages. In a tale such as this the concluding af fairs must be implicit in the beginning, as one. The interlace structure of beowulf university of toronto. Leyerles essay is more cogent than chances and tolkiens through the definition of interlace, the significance of digressions, and historical allusions presented in the poem. This paper was influenced by garmonsway teachings on the relationship between early art and poetry, john leyerle, page.
Wildcard searching if you want to search for multiple variations of a word, you can substitute a special symbol called a wildcard for one or more letters. Leyerle, the interlace structure of beowulf, university of toronto quarterly 37 1961. Beowulfs tale parallels the historical intrigues of the frisians. Goldsmith symbolic metaphor and design of beowulf alvin a. John leyerle looks at how the structure of beowulf is a poetic analogue of the interlace designs common in anglosaxon art of. Ring composition and the structure of beowulf authors. Leyerle presents beowulfs structure as the interlace structure. The tolkien essay monsters and critics is of course an essential read for everyone interested in this poem academically, but there are two essays i hold higher than all others. John leyerle argues that the integration of these digressions is similar to the designs in anglosaxon another way of saying old english art in which animals, plants, and abstract forms are interlaced. Read an overview of the entire poem or a line by line summary and analysis. A note on the semantic value of structure in beowulf, in old english.
John leyerle dedicated his essay to norman garmonsway. Accompanied by his kinsman wiglaf, ten warriors, and the thief, beowulf sets out to confront the dragon. Leyerle describes the structure of beowulf as interlacing. Exploring beowulf and anglo saxon archeology freebooksummary.
The online reference book for medieval studies arlima. The interlace structure of beowulf john leyerle in the time since norman garrnonsway died i have rehected about what i could say that would not embarrass the spirit of the man i wish to honour. See a complete list of the characters in beowulf and indepth analyses of beowulf, grendel, hrothgar, unferth, wiglaf, grendels mother, and the dragon. John leyerle in the interlace structure of beowulf says. Bartlett, who has examined the interlace design principles in the body of anglosaxon poetry. Tolkien the interlace structure of beowulf john leyerle the. Oct 02, 2007 the tolkien essay monsters and critics is of course an essential read for everyone interested in this poem academically, but there are two essays i hold higher than all others.
Niles, a specialist in old english literature, provides visual counterparts to heaneys remarkable translation. Sherman kuhn is correct in stating that the facts for a coherent life of beowulf are present,2 but the information appears in allusive and fragmented forminterlacedand interlace narrative technique is better suited to the creation of juxtapositions of a moral or thematic nature than for. An analysis of the epic poem, beowulf the structure of. Beowulf, knowing his death is near, decides to fight the dragon. Symmetrical aesthetics of beowulf tennessee research and. Beowulf is an old english epic poem written anonymously around 975 ad. Tolkien the interlace structure of beowulf john leyerle the structural unity of beowulf. John leyerle looks at how the structure of beowulf is a poetic analogue of the interlace designs common in anglosaxon art of the seventh and eighth centuries 1. It is one of the most important works of old english literature. The interlacing structure of beowulf dedication to. He tells the story of a young prince who travels from his homeland in southern sweden to help. In beowulf, as joan blomfield has pointed out so ably, there is no simplistic development of either character or plot. Illustrating a variety of interpretative schools, the essays not onlydeal with most of the major issues of beowulf criticism, including structure, style, genre, and theme, but also offer the sort of explanations of particular passagesthat are invaluable to a careful reading of a poem.
For example, world war ii with quotes will give more precise results than world war ii without quotes. Ring composition and the structure of beowulf place stands a barrow. Essay use of digressions in beowulf 687 words bartleby. Tolkien all offer different and valuable insight to their respective depictions of beowulf s structure.
Leyerle, the interlace structure of beowulf, utq, xxxvii i967, i17, and. He was reticent about himself and i shall be brief. Beowulf s tale parallels the historical intrigues of the frisians. The novel deals with finding meaning in the world, the power of literature and myth, and the nature of good and evil. In the time since norman garrnonsway died i have reflected about what i could say that would not embarrass the spirit of the man i wish to honour. The date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars. While taking a further look into beowulf we can understand and draw connections between anglosaxon literature and material culture. Aug 29, 2018 such interlace designs were common in anglosaxon manuscripts and elsewhere in anglosaxon art, and a well known critical essay by john leyerle even concerns itself with the interlace structure of beowulf. Tolkien and the lord of the rings tarot deck and card game by terry donaldson, peter pracownik and mike fitzgerald, critical essay by journal of the fantastic in the arts. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Let us talk about beowulf creative writing forums writing.
The fact that many scholars have concurred with and elaborated on leyerle s postulation of an interlace structure indicates the critical influence of his theory. The individual chapters by eighteen scholars offer both a rapid survey of scholarly trends in the study of beowulf and a more sustained exploration of selected problems. Fred c robinsons the tomb of beowulf, and john leyerles the interlace structure beowulf. While chance and tolkien are accurate in terms of the representation of the monsters and historical references in beowulf, leyerle s argument offers a. Such interlace designs were common in anglosaxon manuscripts and elsewhere in anglosaxon art, and a well known critical essay by john leyerle even concerns itself with the interlace structure of beowulf. I rarely heard him refer to his distinguished career at kings college, london. Campbell in their studies of beowulf, and in general to a. Interpretations of beowulf brings together over six decades of literaryscholarship. It is the story of a heros life from his definitive heroic moment in slaying. The title of this book is beowulf and it was written by daniel donoghue editor, seamus heaney translator, seamus translator. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content the interlace structure of beowulf john leyerle in the time since norman garrnonsway died i have rehected about what i could say that would not embarrass the spirit of the man i wish to honour. The fact that many scholars have concurred with and elaborated on leyerles postulation of an interlace structure indicates the critical influence of his theory. Garbey if i am reading her name correctly had anglosaxon models in mind, but the interlace effect.
Pdf ring composition and the structure of beowulf john niles. Grendel is a 1971 novel by american author john gardner. John leyerle, in the interlace structure of beowulf, says the integration of the poems main plot with nonchronological digressions fits the times artistic aesthetic. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. The interlace structure of celtic and medieval artwork is reflected in a lot of early medieval writing, as a linguistic structure. Leyerle, the interlace structure of beowulf, university of toronto. This book explores how power is shaped and negotiated in later anglosaxon texts, focusing in particular on how hierarchical, vertical structures are presented alongside patterns of reciprocity and economies of mutual obligation, especially within the context of patronage relationships whether secular, spiritual, literal or symbolic. Jan 01, 1991 interpretations of beowulf brings together over six decades of literaryscholarship. The interlace structure of beowulf john leyerle oralfomulaic theory frederic g.
The interlace structure of beowulf, in university of toronto quarterly, vol. Viking warships, chain mail, lyres, spearheads, even. John leyerle argues that the integration of these digressions is similar to the. Lee the interlace structure of beowulf john leyerle. A mood in which the symbolism what we should call the ritual of a departure over the sea whose further shore was unknown. Phrase searching you can use double quotes to search for a series of words in a particular order. Kiernans electronic beowulf cd images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of ben slade reading it in old english, are here. The interlace structure of beowulf john leyerle the text of fate edward b. Illustrating a variety of interpretative schools, the essays not only deal with most of the major issues of beowulf criticism, including structure, style, genre, and theme, but also offer the sort of explanations of particular passages that are invaluable to a careful reading of a poem. Fred c robinsons the tomb of beowulf, and john leyerle s the interlace structure beowulf. But how to visualize the poets story has always been a challenge for modernday readers. Niles and marijane osborn believe the poet may have modeled heorot on the. Interpretations of beowulf brings together over six decades of literary scholarship.
Tolkien the interlace structure of beowulf john leyerle. John leyerles interlace theory for the composition of beowulf, gives a perfect example. Artful avoidance of the useful phrase in beowulf, the battle of maldon, and fates of the apostles geoffrey r. The anthology illustrates a variety of interpretative schools, and the selection of essays not only deals with most of the major issues of beowulf criticism, including structure, style, genre, and theme, but also offers the sort of explanation of particular passages that is invaluable to a careful reading. It is a retelling of part of the old english poem beowulf from the perspective of the antagonist, grendel. Structure in beowulf several possibilities why did he make scyld the child in the boat.
The first half of beowulf contains an account of the heroes visit to denmark to rid the scylding kings hall, named heorot, of the the predatory attacks of the monstrous grendal. But when beowulf and the dragon fight, all of beowulf s men flee except wiglaf. He separates it into the two aspects of stylistic interlace and structural interlace. Generally, a digression is an episode which does not follow the chronology of beowulfs supposed main plot. Interlace structure in beowulf by myrna haykal on prezi. Generally, a digression is an episode which does not follow the chronology of beowulf s supposed main plot. Based on the work of john leyerle, university of toronto. Buy the interlace structure of beowulf university of toronto quarterly. The oralformulaic character of anglosaxon narrative poetry handout selection from eric gerald stanleys in the foreground. When the likelihood of this parallel is accepted, leyerle states, the function of otherwise confusing episodes of the poem becomes apparent. But when beowulf and the dragon fight, all of beowulfs men flee except wiglaf. The christian language and theme of beowulf thomas d.
Lee the interlace structure of beowulf john leyerle oralfomulaic theory frederic g. It too is being actively rewritten and developed, no guarantees, but it is probably still useful. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. After beowulf slays him, grendels mother attacks the hall and is then also defeated. The interlacing structure of beowulf by sarah wynn on prezi. Frisian episode is interlaced throughout the tale of beowulf historical elements all manner of thing shall be well when the tongues of flame are infolded into the crowned knot of fire. Browse the worlds largest ebookstore and start reading today on the web, tablet, phone, or ereader. The presence of an interlace structure, however, has not yet been. Tom shippey places the composition of beowulf in the time of eddius stephanus. While chance and tolkien are accurate in terms of the representation of the monsters and historical references in beowulf, leyerles argument offers a more inclusive and whole depiction of beowulfs structure.
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