How Beowulf Can Save America: An Epic Hero's Guide to Defeating the Politics of Rage

Imagine a society …
seething with resentment because of the perception that certain groups receive special treatment …
beset by grief about the decline of its glory days …
grown hard and callous, with miserly leaders unwilling to redistribute the country's wealth.

Sound familiar?

This is the world of 9th Century England, where a society facing the constant threat of decimation finds guidance in the great English epic Beowulf. The poem understands how rage, taking the form of monstrous resentment, vengeful grieving, and venomous greed, can tear a society apart.

The monsters in Beowulf are no less present in America today, taking up habitation in the extreme right, their enablers in the political class, and the cynical and self-absorbed 1%. By examining the poem's namesake, and his monster-fighting tactics, literature professor Robin Bates shows how the poem provides a blueprint for combating the great challenges facing America today and for reclaiming the promise of a society that insures justice, equality, and the promise of a good life for all.

Robin Bates is Professor of English at St. Mary’s College of Maryland in St. Mary’s City, where he has been teaching English language literature, including Beowulf, for over 30 years. Robin was also a journalist for two years, and before coming to St. Mary’s he taught for a year at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Raised in Sewanee, Tennessee, he received his B.A. from Carleton College and his M.A. and PhD from Emory University, where he studied under J. Paul Hunter. He has published numerous articles, many on film, dealing with questions of audience response, and he has twice received Fulbright fellowships to Slovenia. His posts on literature and life appear daily on his blog Better Living through Beowulf: How Classic Literature Can Change Your Life at betterlivingthroughbeowulf.com. Robin is married to Julia, an educator, and they have three sons, Justin (deceased), Darien and Tobias.