Penguin Epics : Beowulf - Softcover

Alexander, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141026391 ISBN 13: 9780141026398

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2006

Synopsis

When an evil monster terrorizes the land, only one man can stop him ...

A new horror stalks the ancient kingdom of the Danes. Grendel, a hideous beast, has crawled from hell to lay waste to the country and devour its people. His reign of slaughter seems unstoppable.

The mighty warrior Beowulf comes forward to fight this demonic enemy. But Grendel has a powerful and deadly ally. Can Beowulf survive the rage of a fiendish mother who will destroy anyone who harms her child?

About this title

From the Back Cover:

One of the most universally studied of the English classics, Beowulf is considered the finest heroic poem in Old English. Written ten centuries ago, it celebrates the character and exploits of Beowulf, a young nobleman of the Geats, a people of southern Sweden.

Beowulf first rescues the royal house of Denmark from two marauding monsters, then returns to rule his people for 50 years, ultimately losing his life in a battle to defend the Geats from a dragon's rampage. The poem combines mythical elements, Christian and pagan sensibilities, and actual historical figures and events in a narrative that ranges from vivid descriptions of fierce fighting and detailed portrayals of court life to earnest considerations of social and moral dilemmas. Originally written in Old English verse, it is presented here in an authoritative prose translation by R.K. Gordon.

About the Author:

Michael Alexander is Berry Professor of English Literature at the University of St Andrews. For Penguin he has translated, 'The Earliest English Poems', 'The Canterbury Tales: The First Fragment', as well as a prose translation of BEOWULF.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0141026391
• ISBN 13: 9780141026398
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128