Reading Notes: Beowulf Part A
For the first half of this week's reading, I read the story of Beowulf — it's a story I have some familiarity with, but I wanted to refresh myself on the details. I read Grendel in high school, which is the story from Beowulf written from the perspective of Grendel, the monster Beowulf sets out to slay.
In the first few stories, something that stood out to me was the description of Beowulf as this young man — probably around 18 years old — who was sullen and kind of bored because he had all this magnificent strength and nothing to do with it. I like thinking of Beowulf as this angsty teenager who is bored by the world and feels like he's not at his full potential — sort of like a really strong Holden Caulfield.
Narrowing in on the part about Beowulf hearing the Wanderer's song, where he finally feels a spark of hope for getting to do something with his abilities, would be a fun retelling. Especially if I could tap into the angsty teenage Beowulf vibes, I think I could bring more voice to this classic story.
It might also be interesting to narrate a part of Beowulf's story from the perspective of one of the earls — perhaps that narrator could be a longtime friend of Beowulf's who's always lived in his shadow. Maybe that person really didn't want to go along with Beowulf to defeat Grendel, but he got roped into it. That person could maybe have a pessimistic, nervous tone to foil Beowulf's gung-ho attitude.
Story source: The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933).
In the first few stories, something that stood out to me was the description of Beowulf as this young man — probably around 18 years old — who was sullen and kind of bored because he had all this magnificent strength and nothing to do with it. I like thinking of Beowulf as this angsty teenager who is bored by the world and feels like he's not at his full potential — sort of like a really strong Holden Caulfield.
Narrowing in on the part about Beowulf hearing the Wanderer's song, where he finally feels a spark of hope for getting to do something with his abilities, would be a fun retelling. Especially if I could tap into the angsty teenage Beowulf vibes, I think I could bring more voice to this classic story.
It might also be interesting to narrate a part of Beowulf's story from the perspective of one of the earls — perhaps that narrator could be a longtime friend of Beowulf's who's always lived in his shadow. Maybe that person really didn't want to go along with Beowulf to defeat Grendel, but he got roped into it. That person could maybe have a pessimistic, nervous tone to foil Beowulf's gung-ho attitude.
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| An illustration of Beowulf sailing to Daneland. Web source: Wikimedia Commons |
Story source: The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933).
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