McLinda Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I have a 10 year old daughter who reads at a high school level. Which version of Beowulf would be the best? Seamus Heaney's? H.E. Marshall's? Frederick Rebsamen's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pata Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I personally loved HE Marshall's version as an adult. It's engaging and easy to understand. When we get back around to the Middle Ages during the logic stage, my dd will read Marshall's version. That said, if you dd is reading at a high school level, it will be a quick read for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I think with Beowulf you need to remember that the story is extremely violent and gorey. So the question would be more about whether the version you choose is appropriate, rather than just looking at the reading level. We read the version by Michael Morpurgo as a read-aloud, and while it wasn't really objectionable to us, it was definitely gruesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Definitely Heaney's version. My dd and I are working with it now. It's truly a lovely translation--very smooth, very user-friendly. I compared it to a few other versions before I bought it and found it to be the most accessible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I found Heaney's to be very readable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plimsoll Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 We like the Burton Raffel translation. It's verse, but very easy to read. Given your daughter's reading level, I do not think this would be too difficult for her. I read it aloud to my son when he was 8 and although I had to explain some of the language, he enjoyed it very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I've read long sections of Beowulf (I have an English degree), but I have to agree, that in spite of having a high reading level, there isn't a pressing need to rush reading this in a full version. Ian Serrallier has a version Beowulf the Warrior If I were going for the full version, I'd probably actually go for an audio version as the main item, with a written version as backup. Naxos has an unabridged version available. There is a Seamus Heaney audiobook as well, but it appears to be abridged. This was a work created to be performed, just like Shakespeare or a good ballad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 My 9 year old boys just finished the Rebasman version. They survived, but they much preferred Blackstone Audio's unabridged audio book read by Robertson Dean. (Rainbow has it.) Actually, they may have survived because we listened to the audio book first. Even if you get a print version, I'd definitely recommend getting an audio version as well. Blackstone's was beautifully read. Robert Gordon's translation, I thought, was very well done. It preserves the alliterations and kennings without sounding clunky. Definitely gory, though! yvonne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trixie Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 (edited) It's very readable. Although Heaney took some liberties with translation, it's nothing you'd notice to miss anything; and he stayed pretty close to the OE stress and alliteration conventions, which makes it truly beautiful to read aloud. It has the advantage, too, of including the OE version on facing pages; so with a little work learning some of the unfamiliar letters, you could try out the sound/rhythm of the original. The Morpurgo is also nice--nicely illustrated, if a bit gory, as a couple of others have mentioned. We also have a children's version by Strafford Riggs lying around here somewhere; but because the Heaney and the Morpurgo are so usable, I don't think we've even cracked the spine on that one. Edited October 5, 2009 by Trixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smrtmama Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I'm guessing you don't want me to say "the best version is the original Old English version," right? Seamus Heaney's version is good, a bit dense, but a fairly accurate translation. I recommend pairing Beowulf with John Gardner's book Grendel if you're so inclined. I enjoy the notion of presenting stories like that from multiple perspectives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trixie Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I'm guessing you don't want me to say "the best version is the original Old English version," right? But isn't that always the best answer? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smrtmama Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 But isn't that always the best answer? ;) It is to me, but then again, I also took Old English and several Middle English courses as part of my undergraduate degree, so clearly I love the topic. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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