Beowulf advice

[tiggy114]

I've just started a distance learning course on anglo saxon culture. One of the main txts is beowulf. I have never read it. Eek. :s i have it downloaded and am starting to wade through it but could do with a quick overview so i know what the gist is. I have an unwatched copy of the film with angelina jolie. Does anyone who's read beowulf know if the film is close enough to the text to give me the gist of the story? Or is it nothing like? Also is seamus heaneys version worth a read or will i just confuse myself?

[FamiliesShareGerms]

Not seen the film but Heaney's translation captures the mood well.

This is a decent plot summary

[tiggy114]

Thanks so much. That link has helped me me more than you know. It has references to old english grammar which is also discussed in the course. And explained some things i wasn't clear on.

[FamiliesShareGerms]

Excellent - enjoy! Hwaet!!

[UptoapointLordCopper]

I've read the Heaney translation too. It's not as daunting as you think. Enjoy!

[WofflingOn]

Truly, the film is nothing like the text at all.
There are several interesting modern interpretations of the story, none of which follow the plot of the original, although they are fun.
Heaney's version is good.

[tiggy114]

Just ordered heany's version. According to amazon it has the old english on one side and translation on the other. The course is mainly about old english so this should be really useful. Thanks for the advice guys.

[coffeeandcream]

I've always found sparknotes really useful for explaining classic or complicated texts. Google it and hopefully it'll help

[tiggy114]

Thanks coffee. I think the link above was spark notes and yes it was brilliant