1.Introduction
Thesis: Professor Robert F. Yeager generates interest in the poem Beowulf by describing the mystery that surrounds its origin, the way the story influenced others, and how the story connects people to their ancestors.
2. Mystery of Origin
Written over one thousand years ago by two anonymous authors
Original manuscript was small, w/o illumination (written by a journeyman)
No one knows where it was for five hundred years after it was written
Was saved from the dissolving of the libraries
Survived a fire
Why it is interesting: It is like fate kept the story alive
3. Influence of Story
Still widely read today
Influenced artists
Why is it interesting: The story still impacts us
4. Connects People to Ancestors
Information on Anglo-Saxon life
Separating good from evil
Similar to our lives
Why is it Interesting: It is a story that people have related to throughout history In today's world of modern technology and towering cities, can a story first told over one thousand years ago be relevant today? Robert F. …show more content…
Yeager states that Beowulf began as an oral story that had been passed down for perhaps centuries before two anonymous scribes wrote it down in the 900s. This statement leads readers to wonder why the scribes wrote it down if it had been successfully passed on for generations, and also we are clueless as to who came up with the story. We also learn that for five hundred years after it was written, the Beowulf manuscript’s whereabouts are unknown. In 1563, the manuscript came into the possession of the Dean of Litchfield, Lawrence Norwell, who had saved it from being destroyed from Henry VIII’s destruction of the libraries. Yeager also claims that in 1731, the novel survived the burning of the Cottonian library. These facts intrigue the reader because they show how surprising it is that we are even able to read Beowulf
Thesis: Professor Robert F. Yeager generates interest in the poem Beowulf by describing the mystery that surrounds its origin, the way the story influenced others, and how the story connects people to their ancestors.
2. Mystery of Origin
Written over one thousand years ago by two anonymous authors
Original manuscript was small, w/o illumination (written by a journeyman)
No one knows where it was for five hundred years after it was written
Was saved from the dissolving of the libraries
Survived a fire
Why it is interesting: It is like fate kept the story alive
3. Influence of Story
Still widely read today
Influenced artists
Why is it interesting: The story still impacts us
4. Connects People to Ancestors
Information on Anglo-Saxon life
Separating good from evil
Similar to our lives
Why is it Interesting: It is a story that people have related to throughout history In today's world of modern technology and towering cities, can a story first told over one thousand years ago be relevant today? Robert F. …show more content…
Yeager states that Beowulf began as an oral story that had been passed down for perhaps centuries before two anonymous scribes wrote it down in the 900s. This statement leads readers to wonder why the scribes wrote it down if it had been successfully passed on for generations, and also we are clueless as to who came up with the story. We also learn that for five hundred years after it was written, the Beowulf manuscript’s whereabouts are unknown. In 1563, the manuscript came into the possession of the Dean of Litchfield, Lawrence Norwell, who had saved it from being destroyed from Henry VIII’s destruction of the libraries. Yeager also claims that in 1731, the novel survived the burning of the Cottonian library. These facts intrigue the reader because they show how surprising it is that we are even able to read Beowulf