Robin in DFW Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 We liked the Heaney version. I found it very readable. I don't have any experience with the other one. We did this in a lit club and broke up the reading but I don't remember how we did it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in DFW Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 We love the Heaney version. Have fun. Heaney reads an abridged version which is delightful. We read it at night during the winter, usually around the fireplace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I just read the Raffel version a few weeks ago in preparation for teaching British Lit to ds14 this year. I read this version because it is the one I own. I suppose that it is the copy I had when I was in high school. I didn't have any trouble with it. In fact, it was an enjoyable read. I'm not familiar with the other version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Heaney :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in DFW Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Thanks for the opinions. Decided to go with the Raffel version...mainly because it's the one I have. Although I like the Heaney samples I found online, I think his translation is a bit more flowery than my ds is probably willing to tolerate. Robin I liked the Raffel version. If the other one is flowery/more descriptive, my ds wouldn't tolerate much of it either. I looked for the Heany version at the library. Our library doesn't have any version of Beowulf. (Wishbone doesn't count.) I may need to have a talk with the librarians... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 The Heaney one is available in (good quality) audio on Youtube: My personal favorite is Francis Barton Gummere's translation, for its lyrical flow, but I think for some kids the elevated language is more of a hurdle than they are interested in. If you have a Tolkien fan on your hands, his translation was just published recently (I think last year). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in DFW Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 nm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dina in Oklahoma Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Thanks Lucy! This will be a great addition to our lit studies! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 I know you've already chosen, but adding for others that may find this thread later :) We chose the illustrated Heaney version as I figured Ds would enjoy the visual extras; he did. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Also just throwing in that I'm doing the Heaney version with my high school Lit. co-op class right now; it's a bit of a stretch for them, but they're hanging with it well. If you need a free online translation: Raffel translation pdf Heaney translation pdf Grummere translation -- Poetry Foundation website Leslie Hall translation -- Gutenberg website -- this is a nice one with vocabulary, list of all the characters with a sentence of who they are/relationships I strongly recommend reading through the Beowulf for Beginners website before starting any of the translations -- great "who's who" list, background info, and then a series of nice, short summaries of the different sections which really help you keep track of what's going on. Another good "preview" for getting into the work is watching the 28-minute on Youtube, narrated by Derek Jacobi. Or do a run-through with Gareth Hines' new graphic novel version.. Also, check out Benjamin Bagby performing Beowulf in a manner that is probably pretty close to the way it was recited/performed back at the time it was written down — this makes a GREAT introduction to the work, and the ability to talk about how Beowulf is more like a play -- a performed piece -- than traditional written Literature: intro to Beowulf -- 2 minute clip on Youtube full performance -- 2 hour video on Vimeo Enjoy, whatever translation you go with! Beowulf is super fun! :) Warmest regards, Lori D. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Just finished Beowulf with my co-op class today. I'm so proud of my students! :hurray: They hung with it and really got a lot out of it. They all had such awesome things to share about Beowulf. :) Whenever we finish a work, I have every student share a final thought about the work, and this time I included asking if they felt the work would have been better in prose than verse. All of them said that while it took a little to get used to the verse form, by the end they were all getting into it, and enjoyed it. Several of the students said it would not have been as strong or moving of a work for them if it had not been in verse. One student said she was moved to tears by the beauty and sorrow of the ending lines, and she quoted those lines for us: "So the Geat people, his hearth companions, sorrowed for the lord who had been laid low. They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame." I agree with her. :) I LOVE the classics!!! Just had to share. ;) Warmest regards, Lori D. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Wonderful links, as usual, Lori! Thanks so much. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I know you've already chosen, but adding for others that may find this thread later :) We chose the illustrated Heaney version as I figured Ds would enjoy the visual extras; he did. When I was helping students with editions, I stumbled on that version and decided I *needed* it, on top of the Norton edition of Heaney's translation. It is so yummy! I love all of the artifact photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 When I was helping students with editions, I stumbled on that version and decided I *needed* it, on top of the Norton edition of Heaney's translation. It is so yummy! I love all of the artifact photos! Seconding that! It's a gorgeous book. (Good to see you "back".) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 I liked the Raffel version. If the other one is flowery/more descriptive, my ds wouldn't tolerate much of it either. I looked for the Heany version at the library. Our library doesn't have any version of Beowulf. (Wishbone doesn't count.) I may need to have a talk with the librarians... When I was checking out at the library the other day, I mentioned to the librarian at the desk that they didn't have Beowulf. She checked the system, saw that I was correct, and put in a request. She said something to the effect of "Wow. I feel like this is something that we ought to have." :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 When I was checking out at the library the other day, I mentioned to the librarian at the desk that they didn't have Beowulf. She checked the system, saw that I was correct, and put in a request. She said something to the effect of "Wow. I feel like this is something that we ought to have." :) Oo! oo! Ask her to get the illustrated Seamus Haney!! :drool5: You will LOVE all the photos of Anglo-Saxon artifacts and locations! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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