Beowulf: The Oldest English Epic
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Acceptable
Jacket: N/A
Pages: Yellowed
Markings: Ex-library with usual markings
Few works have endured the passage of centuries with the commanding force of Beowulf, the oldest surviving epic poem in the Old English language — a thunderous tale of heroism, monsters, and mortality set against the mead-halls and storm-dark seas of Scandinavian legend. Charles W. Kennedy's celebrated translation renders this ancient masterpiece into alliterative verse, faithfully honouring the rhythmic power of the original Anglo-Saxon while making it accessible to modern readers, and is accompanied by a substantial critical introduction that situates the poem within its historical and literary context. At its heart, the poem chronicles the heroic deeds of Beowulf, a warrior of supreme courage, as he battles the monstrous Grendel, the creature's vengeful mother, and ultimately a fire-breathing dragon in a final, fatal confrontation that seals his legendary fate. Beyond its gripping narrative, Beowulf stands as an irreplaceable cultural artefact, illuminating the values, anxieties, and worldview of the early medieval Germanic peoples — a civilisation caught between pagan fatalism and the rising light of Christianity. Kennedy's scholarly apparatus enriches the reader's understanding of the poem's complex oral tradition, its intricate kennings, and its elegiac tone, which mourns the inevitable passing of greatness. This edition, published by Oxford University Press, remains one of the most respected and widely studied translations of the epic, raising the question that has haunted scholars for generations: what does it mean to be a hero when all glory must one day turn to ash?
Author: Charles W. Kennedy
Format: Hardback
Genre: Classic fiction
Condition remarks:
Book: Acceptable
Jacket: N/A
Pages: Yellowed
Markings: Ex-library with usual markings
Few works have endured the passage of centuries with the commanding force of Beowulf, the oldest surviving epic poem in the Old English language — a thunderous tale of heroism, monsters, and mortality set against the mead-halls and storm-dark seas of Scandinavian legend. Charles W. Kennedy's celebrated translation renders this ancient masterpiece into alliterative verse, faithfully honouring the rhythmic power of the original Anglo-Saxon while making it accessible to modern readers, and is accompanied by a substantial critical introduction that situates the poem within its historical and literary context. At its heart, the poem chronicles the heroic deeds of Beowulf, a warrior of supreme courage, as he battles the monstrous Grendel, the creature's vengeful mother, and ultimately a fire-breathing dragon in a final, fatal confrontation that seals his legendary fate. Beyond its gripping narrative, Beowulf stands as an irreplaceable cultural artefact, illuminating the values, anxieties, and worldview of the early medieval Germanic peoples — a civilisation caught between pagan fatalism and the rising light of Christianity. Kennedy's scholarly apparatus enriches the reader's understanding of the poem's complex oral tradition, its intricate kennings, and its elegiac tone, which mourns the inevitable passing of greatness. This edition, published by Oxford University Press, remains one of the most respected and widely studied translations of the epic, raising the question that has haunted scholars for generations: what does it mean to be a hero when all glory must one day turn to ash?