The translation of Beowulf by J.R.R. Tolkien was an early work, very distinctive in its mode, completed in 1926: he returned to it later to make hasty corrections, but seems never to have considered its publication. This edition is twofold, for there exists an illuminating commentary on the text of the poem by the translator himself, in the written form of a series of lectures given at Oxford in the 1930s, and from these lectures a substantial selection has been made, to form a commentary on the translation in this book. ...
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The translation of Beowulf by J.R.R. Tolkien was an early work, very distinctive in its mode, completed in 1926: he returned to it later to make hasty corrections, but seems never to have considered its publication. This edition is twofold, for there exists an illuminating commentary on the text of the poem by the translator himself, in the written form of a series of lectures given at Oxford in the 1930s, and from these lectures a substantial selection has been made, to form a commentary on the translation in this book. From his creative attention to detail in these lectures there arises a sense of the immediacy and clarity of his vision. It is as if Tolkien entered into the imagined past: standing beside Beowulf and his men shaking out their mail-shirts as they beached their ship on the coast of Denmark, listening to the rising anger of Beowulf at the taunting of Unferth, or looking up in amazement at Grendel's terrible hand set under the roof of Heorot. But the commentary in this book also includes much from those lectures in which, while always anchored in the text, Tolkien expressed his wider perceptions. He looks closely at the dragon that would slay Beowulf "snuffling in baffled rage and injured greed when he discovers the theft of the cup"; but he rebuts the notion that this is "a mere treasure story . . . just another dragon tale." He turns to the lines that tell of the burying of the golden things long ago, and observes that it is "the feeling for the treasure itself, this sad history" that raises it to another level. "The whole thing is sombre, tragic, sinister, curiously real. The 'treasure' is not just some lucky wealth that will enable the finder to have a good time, or marry the princess. It is laden with history, leading back into the dark heathen ages beyond the memory of song, but not beyond the reach of imagination." "Sellic Spell," a "marvellous tale," is a story written by Tolkien suggesting what might have been the form and style of an Old English folktale of Beowulf, in which there was no association with the "historical legends" of the northern kingdoms.
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Add this copy of Beowulf: a Translation and Commentary to cart. $5.45, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by William Morrow Paperbacks.
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Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of Beowulf: a Translation and Commentary to cart. $7.01, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by William Morrow Paperbacks.
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Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of Beowulf: a Translation and Commentary to cart. $7.32, fair condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by William Morrow Paperbacks.
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Fair. Used book-May contain writing notes highlighting bends or folds. Text is readable book is clean and pages and cover mostly intact. May show normal wear and tear. Item may be missing CD. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
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New in new dust jacket. New, Publisher overstock, may have small remainder mark. Excellent condition, never read, purchased from publisher as excess inventory.
Add this copy of Beowulf: a Translation and Commentary to cart. $8.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Mariner Books.
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Add this copy of Beowulf: a Translation and Commentary to cart. $9.38, good condition, Sold by oblivion books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by William Morrow.
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Good reading copy of an Ex-Library edition with the usual stamps and stickers. Officially withdrawn from the library and stamped "no longer property of library, " purchased at a charity even for the library system Otherwise, a clean text--NO writing, NO highlighting to text. A useful reading copy.
Add this copy of Beowulf: a Translation and Commentary to cart. $9.47, very good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by William Morrow.
Add this copy of Beowulf: a Translation and Commentary to cart. $9.52, good condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by William Morrow & Company.
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May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Add this copy of Beowulf: a Translation and Commentary to cart. $9.52, fair condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by William Morrow & Company.
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Fair. This is a former library book with stickers, inserts and markings. May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Add this copy of Beowulf a Translation and Commentary to cart. $9.75, very good condition, Sold by Eat My Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Minneapolis, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by William Morrow Paperbacks.
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Very Good. 0544570308. Binding solid. Pages unmarked and barely aged throughout. Cover has some light shelf wear, just at edges. Spine is straight and uncreased.; 5.25 X 1 X 8 inches; 448 pages.