Review (PDF) The Beowulf Manuscript: Complete Texts And The Flight At Finnsburg (Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library)
Beowulf is one of the finest works of vernacular literature from the European Middle Ages and as such is a fitting title to head the Old English family of texts published in the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library. But this volume offers something unique. For the first time in the history of Beowulf scholarship, the poem appears alongside the other four texts from its sole surviving manuscript: the prose Passion of Saint Christopher, The Wonders of the East, The Letter of Alexander the Great to Aristotle, and (following Beowulf) the poem Judith. First-time readers as well as established scholars can now gain new insights into Beowulf—and the four other texts—by approaching each in its original context. Could a fascination with the monstrous have motivated the compiler of this manuscript, working over a thousand years ago, to pull together this diverse grouping into a single volume? The prose translation by R. D. Fulk, based on the most recent editorial understanding, allows readers to rediscover Beowulf’s brilliant mastery along with otherworldly delights in the four companion texts in The Beowulf Manuscript.
Series: Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library (Book 3)
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Harvard University Press (November 22, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0674052951
ISBN-13: 978-0674052956
Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #986,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #93 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > European > Norse & Icelandic Sagas #177 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Ancient, Classical & Medieval > Medieval #665 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Themes & Styles > Epic
This new volume, presenting all of the texts in the Beowulf manuscript together, both in the original and in translation, is an extremely welcome book for Anglo-Saxonists and general readers alike. R.D. Fulk's translations are accurate and trustworthy, yet very readable - a perfect balance. The Dumbarton Oaks series was smart to enlist Fulk for this task: his scholarship has established him as one of the greatest Anglo-Saxonists of our generation, and this book is no exception.This book, moreover, would be a great starting place for anyone interested in Old English literature and needing an accessible and engaging point of entry. Highly recommended.
A beautiful piece of work: readable, accessible, and great layout. Fulk's translation is both perfectly reliable and engaging to read. An excellent purchase for both the serious academic and the casual reader.
This is one of the inaugural volumes of the new Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library, a major publishing enterprise which aims to fill the gap between Loeb Classics and I Tatti Renaissance Library.If this book is any indication, the series will soon play an essential role in promoting the study of important medieval texts in facing-page editions/translations. This volume brings together all of the texts of the Beowulf Manuscript, Cotton Vitellius A.XV, and provides a lucid prose English translation.On an aesthetic note: absolutely gorgeous, a pleasure to read, lovely font, high-quality paper and binding: these books will instruct and delight for many, many years!
there isn't much left to be said after the other reviews. this really is a beautiful book. it has brought beowulf to me in a way that i can follow the story more easily. the book is set up with the original language and translation side-to-side. anyone interested in the linguistics would find this book most valuable.the one thing i can say is that this series has grown and harvard's site has a list of books that boggle the mind. in the day of the book-killing kindle, it's nice to know people still value the book, as opposed to just the written word, and are willing to still print. there really is nothing like holding a book, turning its pages, and letting it take you places you wouldn't otherwise be able to go.
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