Essay Sample: Luizza’s Introduction to Beowulf
Theorizations about the writer and context of Beowulf, religious symbolism, similarities to other Northern Folklore, and the structure of the Old English poem are all topics R.M. Liuzza(Liuzza), translator and editor, discusses in his introduction. These details aid the reader in approaching the Old English epic poem in an informed manner.
Both the writer and origins of Beowulf, an epic poem that has been translated numerous times, are unknown. Liuzza states that numerous circumstances prevent Beowulf from being dated such as oral circulation and dialect. In regards to the oral circulation aspect, Liuzza states, “A literary work in oral circulation is always new, recreated at each performance; in effect, it has no history, no matter how ancient its traditional narrative or style may be.”(21) A great deal of the language in Beowulf is West-Saxon but also includes hints of Anglian vocabulary which Liuzza expresses is,” not easily traced to one time or place.”(22) There is “little hope” for scholars seeking to uncover the context to this poem. Though not much, there is some information about the writer of Beowulf. Liuzza is certain the poet is Christian as the poet is quite familiar with the Bible. Beowulf’s manuscript contains a bible story and there is a great amount of religious symbolism included in the poem.
Authors use religious symbolism in their writing to express concepts concerned with humanity’s relationship to holy beings. Similarly, Liuzza explains how the characters in Beowulf relate to characters in the Bible. Liuzza says, “Some of the details of Grendel’s lair seem to derive from descriptions of Hell in the Old English homiletic tradition.”(28) Liuzza also gives the reader examples of “cohabitations between the heroic story and the vocabulary of the Church,” and states the “poem depicts a God who watches over history and secures even the safety of the Danes who do not know Him…”(28) The religious tone of the poem continues up to the end. Ultimately, the world of Beowulf shatters and all wealth, treasures, and fame are all lost to the ”inevitability of death”.
Lastly, Liuzza discusses the structure of Beowulf and how he has chosen to translate the poem. In addition to telling the reader “Beowulf is copied on its manuscript pages from margin to margin like prose, the poem consists of 3,182 extant lines of alliterative verse...,”(12) Liuzza also mentions different forms of figurative language used in the poem. Alliteration seems to be among the commonly used by the unknown poet. According to Liuzza, the half-lines are linked by alliteration between one or both stressed syllables in the first half-line and the first syllable of the second half-line. Near the end of the introduction, there are comparisons of Old and Modern English that aid in understanding the Old English poetic style. Before closing out his introduction, Luiza gives the reader insight into how he has chosen to write the poem. Liuzza says, “I have tried to write in a poetic idiom that is analogous to, not imitative of, the character of the original…”(42)
From the introduction, one can see that R.M Liuzza has put much thought into his translation of the Old English epic poem. Due to all the background information and explanations given, the reader is fully prepared for the Germanic heroic legend, Beowulf.
