Research Catalog

Title

The dating of Beowulf : a reassessment / edited by Leonard Neidorf.

Publication

Cambridge : D.S. Brewer, 2014.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Neidorf, Leonard

Description

x, 250 pages : illustrations; 25 cm

Summary

"The dating of Beowulf has been a central question in Anglo-Saxon studies for the past two centuries, since it affects not only the interpretation of Beowulf, but also the trajectory of early English literary history. By exploring evidence for the poem's date of composition, the essays in this volume contribute to a wide range of pertinent fields, including historical linguistics, Old English metrics, onomastics, and textual criticism. Many aspects of Anglo-Saxon literary culture are likewise examined, as contributors gauge the chronological significance of the monsters, heroes, history, and theology brought together in Beowulf. Discussions of methodology and the history of the discipline also figure prominently in this collection. Overall, the dating of Beowulf here provides a productive framework for evaluating evidence and drawing informed conclusions about its chronological significance. These conclusions enhance our appreciation of Beowulf and improve our understanding of the poem's place in literary history."--Publisher's description.

Series Statement

Anglo-Saxon studies, 1475-2468 ; 24

Uniform Title

Anglo-Saxon studies ; 24.

Subject

• Beowulf > History and criticism
• Epic poetry, English (Old) > History and criticism
• Epic poetry, English (Old) > Chronology
• Manuscripts, English (Old)
• Manuscript dating

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

1. Beowulf and language history / R.D. Fulk -- 2. Germanic legend, scribal errors, and cultural change / Leonard Neidorf -- 3. Names in Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon England / Tom Shippey -- 4. The limits of conservative composition in Old English poetry / Megan E. Hartman -- 5. The date of composition of Beowulf and the evidence of metrical evolution / Thomas A. Bredehoft -- 6. Beowulf and the containment of Scyld in the West Saxon royal genealogy / Dennis Cronan -- 7. History and fiction in the Frisian Raid / Frederick M. Biggs -- 8. 'Give the people what they want' : historiography and rhetorical history of the dating of Beowulf controversy / Michael D.C. Drout ; with Phoebe Boyd and Emily Bowman -- 9. A note on the other Heorot / Joseph Harris -- 10. Beowulf and conversion history / Thomas D. Hill -- 11. Material monsters and semantic shifts / Rafael J. Pascual -- 12. Scandals in Toronto : Kaluza's law and transliteration errors / George Clark -- 13. Afterword : Beowulf and everything else / Allen J. Frantzen.

Call Number

JFE 15-8462

ISBN

• 1843843870
• 9781843843870

LCCN

2013497523

OCLC

873007229

Title

The dating of Beowulf : a reassessment / edited by Leonard Neidorf.

Publisher

Cambridge : D.S. Brewer, 2014.

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Series

Anglo-Saxon studies, 1475-2468 ; 24

Anglo-Saxon studies ; 24.

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Added Author

Neidorf, Leonard, editor.

Research Call Number

JFE 15-8462