Do you know the name of a fictional work considered as the very first English literary work?
Well, it is Beowulf.
Created within the period of Old-English, Beowulf has been a very-well known work, becoming a fundamental reference in any English studies all this time, especially referring to its position in English literature as well as the language the author used to create it.
Many scholars, especially they who deal with the realm of literature, are eager to study such a work thoroughly.
One of the reasons of it is to understand the development of English literature as well as the English language since in the Old-Age up till now. You understand England has been passing through three different periods of the linguistic evolution, from Old-English, Middle-English, to Modern English.
And thus, it is reasonable if anyone may feel interested in reading Beowulf, especially when comparing its original verses and the translations. Comparing between both means learning how far the transformation of the English language has been.
To give us more of information about Beowulf, here are several facts about it worth to know.
- Beowulf is a poem, telling an epic story.
- Its topic is about a hero who fights against malice monsters.
- A kind of poem, the length of the story is similar to a novella.
- Beowulf is the very first literary work that is noted in the history of English literature.
- It is estimated that Beowulf was written between 700-1000 AD.
- Nobody knows who wrote Beowulf.
- An English poem, Beowulf is like a Danish folklore because the story of it doesn't deal with England and English people at all; instead, the story sets in Denmark.
- Beowulf is also the name of the main character of the poem of Beowulf.
- There are three main antagonists in the story of Beowulf, such as Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the Dragon.
- Beowulf dies in the fight against the Dragon, after killing it.
- There have been a couple movies adapting Beowulf. The latest one was released in 2007, produced in the U.S.
- The language of Beowulf's verses represents Old-English, which is very different from Modern English.
