Beowulf appeals to modern audiences because it strips away the veneer of a socially sensitive, sophisticated, and gentler society. In fact, it has some of the same appeal that video games about war have today.
Beowulf has found its way into many modern methods of connecting with the public. Such methods are music (the American composer Howard Hanson’s Lament for Beowulf, 1926), a novel (John Gardner's Grendel, 1971), a comic book (Beowulf, Dragon-Slayer...
Beowulf appeals to modern audiences because it strips away the veneer of a socially sensitive, sophisticated, and gentler society. In fact, it has some of the same appeal that video games about war have today.
Beowulf has found its way into many modern methods of connecting with the public. Such methods are music (the American composer Howard Hanson’s Lament for Beowulf, 1926), a novel (John Gardner's Grendel, 1971), a comic book (Beowulf, Dragon-Slayer, 1975), and an animated film (Grendel! Grendel! Grendel! circa 1982). [https://www.library.rochester.edu/robbins/beowulfiana]
Much like the fantastic heroes of video games, Beowulf is a brave young warrior of superlative strength and courage who removes a dangerous foe from the land. His actions are brutal but efficient. He kills Grendel and then rips through the spine of Grendel's mother as she tries to kill him with her knife. After slaying this monster, Beowulf cuts off the head of the corpse.
Robert F. Yeager, writing in HUMANITIES, March/April 1999 | Volume 20, Number 2, argues,
Beowulf’s audiences have always reacted most strongly. Students respond to the lack of falsifying sweetness that would gloss over a world that they recognize as basically an image of our own.
The appeal of Beowulf points to the continued interest in the basic instincts of man, and the absolute defeat of evil by strong heroes.
No comments:
Post a Comment