He's the Man with the Plan

Beowulf; anon.; Epic Poetry; +11; Paula Stiles at Suite101

What can you say about Beowulf? It really is the sort of thing where people who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing that they like.

I happen to think it's great fun. There's just something about epic poetry. After a while, you just sort of sink into it; while it takes a while to get into the rhythm of the words, once you do... It's transporting. Really otherworldly.

Of all the epic peoms I've read, of which I'm not claiming to have read many, this is by far my favorite. I've got a thing about Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic myths. I love them. Love them, the way some people love crystal methamphetamines. I go a little crazy when talking about them, reading them, or listening to them- so much so that I've pretty much been banned from discssing them around any of my acquaintences. Ah well.

But when reading something like "Beowulf," I really can't see, no matter how hard I try, how anyone can be bored with it. It's got everything: hot babes, manly men, evil monsters, big battles, stuff that goes "bump" in the night. This poem and its A-S,N&C bretheren are much, much closer to occidental society's prototypical blockbuster than many people seem to think. In terms of entertainment, we owe a lot more to the barbarians of the frozen seas than we commonly acknowledge.

I only wish this poem could supplant "The Odyssey" in remedial english classes the nation over.

Well, that's not quite true. "The Odyssey" is fun, too. I wish "Beowulf" could be given a little more attention outside of college Medieval History classes, though. It's too much fun to be allowed to languish.