Midterm: Themes, Suggestions, Reminders

Some themes to keep in mind:

1. History/tradition

2. Gender

3. Names/Genealogy/Stories

4. Treasure

5. Fame

Re-read the passages we talked about in class, and list particular words/phrases we focused on. That list can provide a quick point of entry into the passages on the midterm.

Remember, an outside reading counts for 10% of the grade. You can use the same strategy for notetaking with them.

Sample Close Reading Beowulf 3137-3155

Beowulf's funeral makes an ambiguous statement about the meaning of his life and death. When Beowulf dies, his thanes build a funeral pyre "hung with helmets, heavy war-shields/and shining armor, just as he had ordered" (3139-40). One last time treasure represents respect for the leader. His body is thrown to the fire "and flames wrought havoc in the hot bone-house,/burning it to the core" (3147-8). The source of the hero's strength and renown is easily destroyed. One last unnamed "Geat woman" (3150) sings a lamentation, not for Beowulf, but for "her nation invaded,/enemies on the rampage, bodies in piles,/slavery and abasement" (3153-55). The king's death leaves his people open to all the attacks and humiliations most feared in Anglo-Saxon warrior society.  This funeral, unlike the one which opens the poem is not a simple celebration of the warrior ethos.

Essay Formatting/Reminders/Pet Peeves

A few odds and ends in no particular order of importance:

1. Save a tree - don't use a cover page

2. Double space with standard margins and font size

3. Don't skip lines between paragraphs

4. Work quotes into the body of your sentences

5. Cite line numbers for quotes. Ex: Milton writes, "xxxxx" (PL IX.321).

6. Use present tense consistently in writing about literature

7. Incorporating supplemental readings counts for 10% of the grade

8. A person/someone etc. does not become they/them - watch your pronoun-antecedent agreement

Sample Close Reading Beowulf 1355-57

Grendel and his mother represent a parody of Anglo-Saxon warrior society. Their behavior is understandable; battle is normal, as is avenging one's slain kinsman. Hrothgar's speech, though, shows a number of ways in which this parallel breaks down. He refers to them as "fatherless creatures" (1355) whose "whole ancestry is hidden in a past/of demons and ghosts" (1356-7). In a society obsessed with male lineage unknown parentage marks them as outsiders beyond the pale. Unlike Shield Sheafson, also of unknown origin, they cannot redeem this drawback because they are connected with forces of the underworld.

Sample Close Reading Beowulf 662-665

The poem suggests that Hrothgar might not be the great leader he is portrayed. Knowing that his own mead hall, Heorot, is to be attacked that night by Grendel, Hrothgar entrusts it to the care of Beowulf. The narrator refers to Hrothgar as "lord of the Shieldings, their shelter in war" (663). It is ironic that the shelter should seek his own shelter elsewhere. We are told that Hrothgar left "to lie with Wealtheow,/his queen and bedmate" (664-5). There is a strong emphasis on their sexual relationship. Hrothgar's priority should be the safety of his people; instead, he is seeking the pleasure of the marital bed. 

Beowulf Schedule

We need to keep up with the syllabus, so for Wed. we'll squeeze the readings from today in. Friday we'll have some in-class writing relating to the supplemental reading, so bring it to class.

Beowulf - Background: Sutton Hoo

Sutton Hoo is an important Anglo-Saxon archeological site with lots of artifacts similar to treasures described in Beowulf.