The Dating of Beowulf by Colin Chase

The Dating of Beowulf by Colin Chase

The date of Beowulf, debated for almost a century, is a small question with large consequences. Does the poem provide us with an accurate if idealized view of early Germanic culture? Or is it rather a creature of nostalgia and imagination, born of the desire of a later age to create for itself a glorious past? If we cannot decide when, between the 5th and 11th centuries, the poem was composed, we cannot distinguish what elements in Beowulf belong properly to the history of material culture, to the history of myth and legend, to political history, or to the development of the English literary imagination. This book represents both individual and concerted attempts to deal with this important question, and presents one of the most important inconclusions in the study of Old English. The contributors raise so many doubts, turn up so much new and disturbing information, dismantle so many long-accepted scholarly constructs that Beowulf studies will never be the same: henceforth every discussion of the poem and its period will begin with reference to this volume.

'It is rare to have so much information on a crucial issue in medieval literature concentrated in one place, and there is no doubt that these proceedings will become a standard reference work for several decades'

-- Theodore M. Andersson * University of Toronto Quarterly *

'The book as a whole sacrifices a few sacred cows, and it forces its readers to think again.'

-- The Year's Work in English Studies

'A challenge to so many long accepted scholarly constructs that Beowulf studies will never be the same again.'

-- Medieval and Renaissance Studies

The late Colin Chase (1935-1984) was a member of the Department of English and of the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780802078797
ISBN 10	0802078796
Title	The Dating of Beowulf
Author	Colin Chase
Series	Toronto Old English Studies
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	University of Toronto Press
Year published	1997-05-31
Number of pages	230
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.