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bhaines's review
I don't really remember it. But I remember it made me want to read Beowulf. I felt reading it that I completely understood what he wanted to accomplish with Lord of the Rings, and in general what might motivate someone to write a fantasy story at all.
Will re-read if I ever finish lotr.
Will re-read if I ever finish lotr.
morbazaz's review
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Certainly changed how I view Beowulf. A really great piece of literary criticism.
gloriasun's review
4.0
Uh. I understood about half of this lecture. I'll come back after I've mastered Old English and read The Aeneid. But I feel like I definitely have a deeper appreciation of the work as "an echo of an echo". I found it pretty illuminating that Tolkien argued that "it is just because the main foes in Beowulf are inhuman that the story is larger and more significant than this imaginary poem of a great king's fall." And he got to the heart of myth itself; "myth is alive at once and in all its parts, and dies before it can be dissected." Fascinating, and brilliant.
kayleighofhobbiton's review
4.0
I only read Beowulf the monsters and the critics and I really loved it. I don't know that Tolkien could make that many references to dragons. I have read Beowulf myself and I kinda enjoyed the poem. Loved to read his views on it.
spoth's review
This paper helps explain Beowulf as a work of art, and how some of the more puzzling bits, including those that other critics had labeled confused or inept, actually skillfully help create the intended atmosphere of the poem. As a casual reader who'd just read Beowulf for the first time, I found it tough going at times, and he assumes his readers are fluent in both Old English and Norse.
srchief's review
4.0
This is an academic text that focuses on Tolkien's lecture about Beowulf. This book along with "Monsters and Critics" is credited with being one of the best and possible the first in describing the way to perform critical analysis on literature. It is a little hard to follow but if you are interested in Beowulf and critical review than this is well worth the time required.
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