Beowulf (Readers' Guides to Essential Criticism)

This Guide provides an essential overview of the large body of Beowulf criticism. Like other books in the series, this Guide takes a chronological approach, moving from the discussions of Beowulf by 18th century Antiquarians to Heaney's recent translation. The author charts the changes in the theoretical approaches applied to the poem, and chapters are fully cross-referenced to signal where thematic approaches to the poem overlap. The Guide also includes a chapter discussing Tolkein's 1936 lecture on Beowulf.