PLEASE NOTE: this is your last chance to buy this book. We will NOT be buying it again. Also, this book is NOT RETURNABLE, and SOLD AS-IS. It may have defects, such as highlighting, torn pages or loose cover.
Beowulf is the earliest extant poem in a modern European language. It was composed in England four centuries before the Norman Conquest. As a social document this great epic poem is invaluable—reflecting a feudal, newly Christian world of heroes and monsters, blood and victory, life and death. As a work of art it is quite unique; Beowulf rings with a beauty, power, and artistry that have kept it alive for more than twelve centuries. The noble simplicity of Beowulf's anonymous Anglo-Saxon singer is recaptured in this vivid translation by Burton Raffel.
Raffel'sBeowulfis a verse translation. "Essentially," Raffel writes, "I have used a free four-beat line, without regard to the usual accent patterns of English verse..."Raffel alliterates in irregular patterns, hoping to convey the "force and flavor of theoriginal." This 1999 printing contains a helpful afterword by Robert P. Creed and a glossary of names in the back. Signet reprinted in 2008 with an afterword by Roberta Frank.
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