CLASS DESCRIPTION

When confronted with a very old work of literature, the modern reader struggles for several reasons. The biggest obstacle is that the shared literary, cultural, and imaginative traditions of the work have long since passed from our memories, and as a result, we simply do not understand the imaginative context (i.e. the imaginative language) the work is written in. Sadly, with the loss of that imaginative language, we are cut off from the sources of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness that nurture our souls and connect us to the past.

C.S. Lewis says that it is the first duty of a reader to read the work like the original audience. But how do we do that when we have lost that link? This class will show you how!

Angelina Stanford has been teaching Beowulf for decades and has a deep understanding of the world of the poem. Let her guide you through one of the world’s most foundational—and fun—poems! It’s a rip-roaring good tale. And that is why it is important!

Class Topics will Include:

• Choosing a good Beowulf translation
• Putting the work firmly in its imaginative context
• Understanding Anglo-Saxon Culture and the poem’s relation to that
• Why Tolkien and Lewis centered the entire English Curriculum of Oxford University on Beowulf and the study of Anglo-Saxon
• Why I agree with Tolkien that Beowulf is NOT an epic—and how this changes your reading of the poem.
• How the Anglo-Saxons are our guides on how to interact with our classical Christian literary heritage
• And, of course, a very thorough line-by-line guided reading of the poem

Virtual Classroom on Canvas with forum

Class Video Archive for all students