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poetskings's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
tristansreadingmania's review against another edition
4.0
Wentworth Huyshe translation, 1908 edition.
faithtrustpixiedust's review against another edition
I only read up to the death of Grendel (for a class)
kenbelt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
stjernesvarme's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Full review to come. Just wanted to note that I haven't technically read this whole book--I'm interested in coming back to the translation notes at some point, but have finally realized I'm not going to enjoy reading through all of them at the current time.
readerbot_lu's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Did I like it? Yes
Do I recommend it? Yes
Do I recommend it? Yes
Favorite Quotes
"We all know a boy can't daddy until his daddy's dead." (4)
"Horrors happen, I'm grown, I know it. Bro, Fate can fuck you up." (22)
"Horrors happen, I'm grown, I know it. Bro, Fate can fuck you up." (22)
Positives
I really like the translator’s concept of Beowulf as a bro story and paying special attention to how the women were portrayed in her translation. The introduction she wrote for the volume was really insightful for her process and perspective as a translator. Some of the reasons I like Beowulf are its kennings and alliteration and this translation has some fun with that.
Beowulf was an oral text written down in one fraught copy and I like the idea of its history being layered into it. Both in the sense of its original transcription and in this translation to more modern poetry. It feels right for an oral text to have that shifting history visible.
Negatives
While the mesh of modern and old vocabularies worked really well for the most part, there were a couple times where they brought me out of the story.
Also, it can be hard to keep track of all the names and places in Beowulf and I just wish for a little diagram sometimes.
cnnunez13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25