Beowulf

Lehmann, Ruth P. M. (Translator)

ISBN 10: 0292707711 / ISBN 13: 9780292707719

Published by Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1988, Austin, TX, 1988

About this Item

Trade Paperback. Classics. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. ISBN:0-292-70771-1. This shiny trade sized paperback of the classic medieval poetry Beowulf translated very well by Ruth Lehmann is in good condition. The covers have some wear on the faces and around the edges but look pretty good. The spine is tight but has some wear at the bottom. The pages are white with little wear and no marks. The back couple of pages were damp at one time and are a little bit wavy. Lehmann offers summaries and analysis as well as the text in readable form. 119 pages with the geneologies of royal families in the back.

Seller Inventory # 005300

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Beowulf
• Publisher: Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1988, Austin, TX
• Publication Date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0292707711
• ISBN 13: 9780292707719
• Binding: Trade Paperback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

The name "Beowulf" lingers in our collective memory, although today fewer people have heard the tale of the Germanic hero's fight with Grendel, the dreadful Monster of the Mere, as recounted in this Anglo-Saxon epic.

This edition of Beowulf makes the poem more accessible than ever before. Ruth Lehmann's imitative translation is the only one available that preserves both the story line of the poem and the alliterative versification of the Anglo-Saxon original. The characteristic features of Anglo-Saxon poetry— alliterative verse with first-syllable stress, flexible word order, and inflectional endings—have largely disappeared in Modern English, creating special problems for the translator. Indeed, many other translations of Beowulf currently available are either in prose or in some modern poetic form. Dr. Lehmann's translation alone conveys the "feel" of the original, its rhythm and sound, the powerful directness of the Germanic vocabulary.

In her introduction, Dr. Lehmann gives a succinct summary of the poem's plot, touching on the important themes of obligation and loyalty, of family feuds, unforgivable crimes, the necessity of revenge, and the internal and external struggles of the Scandinavian tribes. She also describes the translation process in some detail, stating the guiding principles she used and the inevitable compromises that were sometimes necessary.

About the Author

A noted medievalist, the late Ruth P. M. Lehmann was a professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin.