English: Beowulf

This volume contains easily accessible and context-rich discussions of the literary and historical significance of 15 works from various cultures and times. Includes author biography, plot and chapter overview, historical context, character profiles, style, themes, and criticism.

This series is designed specifically to meet the curricular needs of high school and undergraduate college students studying poetry. A quick but information-rich reference source, each volume of Poetry for Students provides analysis of 16 poems that teachers and librarians have identified as the most frequently studied.

Arranged alphabetically from "Achilles" to "Buddhism and Mythology, " this volume covers major characters, stories, and themes of mythologies from cultures around the globe.

- Concise critical excerpts that provide a scholarly overview of each work - "The Story Behind the Story," detailing the conditions under which the work was written - A biographical sketch of the author, a descriptive list of characters, an extensive summary and analysis, and an annotated bibliography.

Composed about CE 1000, Beowulf is the longest known poem written in Old English. Considered one of the great epics, the Anglo-Saxon saga relates the heroic deeds of the warrior Beowulf, who kills the man-eating monster Grendel, and the monster's mother. Containing touches of Christian and pagan symbolism, Beowulf is the source of many medieval and Renaissance legends. It also influenced J.R.R. Tolkien, and helped spawn the fantasy genre so popular today in literature and film. Arm students for immersion in the study of this mythic adventure with Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations. Newly updated, Beowulf includes full-length, interpretive essays that provide expert commentary, as well as introductions, a chronology, notes on the contributors, and a bibliography.