BIBLIOGRAPHIES

Fry, Donald K. “Beowulf” and “The Fight at Finnsburh”: A Bibliography. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1969, 221 p.

Bibliography including extensive subject classifications, compiler's remarks, and notices of reviews.

Short, Douglas D. “Beowulf” Scholarship: An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland Publishing, 1980, 353 p.

Bibliography offering detailed annotations and a selection of listings dating from 1705 through 1949, and a more comprehensive listing from 1950 through 1978.

CRITICISM

Clark, George. Beowulf. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990, 169 p.

Book-length analysis of the poem, including discussion of the heroic nature of the poem, the battles with monsters, and kingship.

Cox, Betty S. Cruces of “Beowulf.” The Hague: Mouton, 1971, 192 p.

Examination of textual and interpretative issues within the context of the widely-held belief that the poem is a work of art addressed by a Christian poet to a Christian audience.

Earl, James W. “The Necessity of Evil in Beowulf.” South Atlantic Bulletin XLIV, No. 1 (January, 1979): 81-98.

Argues that Grendel functions as an evil creature, but one who serves a positive function in the molding of Hrothgar's moral vision, as well as the moral vision of the poet.

Fajardo-Acosta, Fidel. The Condemnation of Heroism in the Tragedy of Beowulf: A Study in the Characterization of the Epic. Studies in Epic and Romance Literature, Vol. 2. Lewiston, N.Y.: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1989, 215 p.

Studies the significance of the name and character of Beowulf and Grendel; of the symbol of the wolf; and of the fratricide motif.

Fulk, R. D., ed. Interpretations of “Beowulf”: A Critical Anthology. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991, 282 p.

Collection of critical essays dating from the 1920s through the 1980s, focusing on a variety of subjects, including the Christian elements of Beowulf, its formulaic structure, its epic nature, and the nature and role of the monsters.

Gulley, Ervene F. “The Concept of Nature in Beowulf.” Thoth 11, No. 1 (Fall 1970): 16-30.

Studies the concept of nature from the point of view of the Germanic people of the period during which the poem was written, as well as the poet's artistic use of nature. Gulley maintains that within the artistic confines of the poem, nature serves as a source of imagery; connects narrative portions; generates and emphasizes mood and theme; and creates a sense of realism.

Haarder, Andreas. “Beowulf”: The Appeal of a Poem. Akademisk Forlag, 1975, 340 p.

Provides an extended discussion of the poem's artistic merit.

Hill, John M. The Cultural World in “Beowulf.” Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1995, 224 p.

Examines society and culture within the poem, investigating feudal settlements, the temporal world, the jural world, the psychological world, and the concept of honor.

Howlett, David R. “Form and Genre in Beowulf.” Studia Neophilologica XLVI, No. 2 (1974): 309-25.

Analyzes details within the poem that suggest various sources which may have influenced its form and structure.

Irving, Edward B., Jr. Rereading “Beowulf.” Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1989, 183 p.

Discusses recent approaches to Beowulf and its oral nature; examines its oral modes of characterization and narrative construction; and studies the hall (Heorot) as a unifying symbol within the poem.

Lapidge, Michael. “Beowulf and the Psychology of Terror.” Heroic Poetry in the Anglo-Saxon Period: Studies in Honor of Jess B. Bessinger, Jr., edited by Helen Damico and John Leyerle, pp. 373-402. Studies in Medieval Culture XXXII. Kalamazoo, Mich.: Western Michigan University, 1993.

Contends that Beowulf is not a heroic poem because the poet is less concerned with heroic action than with reflection on human lives and conduct. Investigates the poet's interest in “the workings of the human mind,” particularly his depiction of Grendel and the monster's advancing on the great hall, Heorot.

Lee, Alvin A. Gold-Hall and Earth-Dragon: “Beowulf” as Metaphor. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998, 279 p.

Analyzes the way in which the poem's figurative language and verbal structure support the extended metaphor of the poem.

Leyerle, John. “Beowulf the Hero and the King.” Medium Ævum XXXIV, No. 2 (1965): 89-102.

Demonstrates the way in which the episodes of the poem are connected to create structural unity, and examines the major theme of the poem. Leyerle describes this theme as the contradiction between the heroic code—which praises individual valor—and society's desire to have a king who acts on behalf of the common good, not personal glory.

McNamee, M. B. “Beowulf—An Allegory of Salvation?” JEGP LIX, No. 2 (April 1960): 190-207.

Examines the evidence supporting the theory that Beowulf is a Christian allegory, and argues that viewing the poem in this manner reveals its great artistic unity.

Overing, Gillian R. Language, Sign, and Gender in “Beowulf.” Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1990, 137 p.

Investigates the Beowulf poet's use of textual effects, metonymy, and kenning; the interlace structure and symbols used in the text; and gender issues— specifically, the way desire operates within the narrative.

Robinson, Fred C. “Beowulf” and the Appositive Style. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1985, 106 p.

Discusses the appositive style and structure of Beowulf, arguing that this style enabled the poet to express from his Christian point of view the pagan heroic life. Robinson explains that grammatical appositions are often called “variations,” and consist of poetic compounds, amphiboles, and a variety of narrative devices that are used in a suggestive, rather than an equivocal manner.

Stanley, Eric Gerald. In the Foreground: “Beowulf.” Rochester, N.Y.: D. S. Brewer, 1994, 273 p.

Examines the poem's critical history, dating, and poetics.

Tietjen, Mary C. Wilson. “God, Fate, and the Hero of Beowulf.” JEGP LXXI, No. 2 (April 1975): 159-71.

Analyzes the Christian and pagan elements of the poem and asserts that the poet's attitude and tone are both Christian and pagan. The heroic ideal prevails, explains Tietjen, while the Christian notion of grace is also a significant component within the text.

Tripp, Raymond P., Jr. Literary Essays on Language and Meaning in the Poem Called “Beowulf.” Lewiston, N.Y.: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1992, 300 p.

A selection of essays exploring and elucidating various constructions and specific words, lines, or concepts within the poem.

Additional coverage of Beowulf is contained in the following sources published by the Gale Group: Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Vol. 1, and Epics for Students.