Beowulf teaching resources

by Dr Davis on November 6, 2008

I have waded through 45 pages of Google for “teaching Beowulf,” so that you don’t have to. Here’s the useful stuff:

Beowulf@Web English Teacher

Teaching Resources

English 505 Beowulf Blog, with short critical discussions

Beowulf on the Web, including Beowulf sites, aids for learning Old English, and general medieval links

Flytes of Fancy: Boasts and Boasters from Beowulf to Gangsta Rap, an essay

The Labyrinth: Resources for teaching medieval studies, a series of links maintained by Georgetown U

The Narrative Pulse of Beowulf, a book preview online. Lots of good stuff if you take the time to read it, but not on the top. Have to read it.

Editing Beowulf: What can the study of ballads tell us? an article from Oral Tradition.

Beowulf: a slideshow

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: beowulf)

Medievalist blogs. This might be something I could use to have my students look for information. It would at least be an adventure.

The Electronic Revolution and the Teaching of Literature (2005) about teaching Beowulf and how that has changed with the internet. from the CEA Forum

EdSITEment: The Beauty of Anglo-Saxon Poetry, with lots of links and some ideas.

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Teaching Beowulf in the college classroom.

by Dr Davis on November 6, 2008

Least Tern offers some good teacher resources for Beowulf.

Jaws - Screen the old movie and, as you do, think about the epic hero, the side kick, the monster, the quest, the battle, the gore, the weapons, the questions of good and evil and faith and courage and might. By including some careful movie cuts in with your classroom readings of Beowulf, you will grab your students and liven up the class. Suggestions:

  • Jaws appears - the sound is enough - show this and then read the 1st appearance of Grendel
  • The captain appears at the town meeting - contrast this with Beowulf’s appearance at the great hall - talk about the posturing and the individual vs. the group
  • The captain dies - show this and then read Beowulf’s end (a good compare/contract exercise)

I have been wanting to bring in more modern comparisons for the works I am doing in Brit Lit 1. This would be a good way.

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