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Guests | May 6, 2013

Benjamin Percy: IMG The Roof People

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My sister slept with the light on until she was 27. She rightfully blames me. I would leap out of closets with my hands made into claws. I would... Continue »
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    Red Moon

    Benjamin Percy 9781455501663
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Earliest English Poems 3RD Edition

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Earliest English Poems 3RD Edition Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Legends from the Ancient North: Five classics of Norse literature that inspired J. R. R. Tolkien's epic vision in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Legendary fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien spent much of his life studying, translating, and teaching the ancient tales of northern Europe at Oxford and drew on them for his own writing. These epic stories, with their wizards and knights, dragons and trolls, cursed rings and magic swords, are as fascinating today as they were thousands of year ago. Reading them brings us as close as we will ever get to the magical worlds of the Vikings and the origins of their twentieth-century counterpart: Tolkiens Middle Earth.

In this collection of the earliest verse in English, heroic poems celebrate the courage, loyalty, and strength of the ancient world: in "The Battle of Maldon" a brave Anglo-Saxon army attempt to fend off a Viking invasion; "The Wanderer" and "The Seafarer" reflect on exile, loss and destiny; and The Exeter Riddles are witty linguistic puzzles that directly influenced Golum's famous riddles in Tolkien's The Hobbit.

Synopsis:

Michael Alexander has translated old English poetry into modern English and into a verse form that retains the qualities of Anglo-Saxon metre and alliteration. Included in this selection are the heroic poems such as "Wildsith", "Deor", "Brunanburn" and "Maldon" and passages from "Beowulf".

Description:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 146-148).
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About the Author

Michael Alexander is the Berry Professor of English Literature at the University of St Andrews. He has translated The Earliest English Poems, The Canterbury Tales: The First Fragment, and Beowulf for Penguin.
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Table of Contents

Introduction

A Note on the Translation

Preface to the Second Edition

Preface to the Third Edition

The Ruin

Caedmon's Hymn

Bede's Death Song

Heroic Poems

Deor and Widsith

Beowulf and the Fight at Finnsburg

Waldere

Elegies

The Wanderer and the Seafarer

The Wife's Complaint, the Husband's Message and Wulf and Eadwacer

Gnomic Verses

Riddles

The Dream of the Rood

The Phoenix

Brunaburh

The Battle of Maldon

Map of the Site of the Battle of Maldon

Notes

Appendixes:

A. The Runes

B. Suggested Solutions to the Riddles

C. Anglo-Saxon Metric

Glossary of Proper Names

Further Reading

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780140445947
Translator:
Alexander, Michael
Publisher:
Penguin Books
Translator:
Alexander, Michael
Author:
Various
Author:
Alexander, Michael
Author:
Anonymous
Location:
London ;
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literature
Subject:
Anthologies (multiple authors)
Subject:
English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh
Subject:
Medieval
Subject:
English poetry (collections)
Subject:
English poetry
Subject:
Middle english, 1100-1500
Subject:
Modernized versions
Subject:
English poetry -- Old English, ca. 450-1100 -- Modernized versions.
Subject:
English poetry -- Old English, ca. 450-1100.
Subject:
Literary Criticism : General
Copyright:
1992
Edition Number:
3
Edition Description:
Paperback / softback
Series:
Penguin Classics
Series Volume:
244
Publication Date:
19920131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
from 12
Language:
English
Pages:
144
Dimensions:
7.92x5.12x.45 in. .34 lbs.
Age Level:
from 18
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Related Subjects

Fiction and Poetry » Anthologies » United Kingdom » Poetry
Fiction and Poetry » Classics » Medieval and Renaissance
Fiction and Poetry » Classics » Old English Language
Fiction and Poetry » Poetry » A to Z
Humanities » Literary Criticism » General

Earliest English Poems 3RD Edition Used Trade Paper
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Product details 144 pages Penguin Books - English 9780140445947 Reviews:
"Synopsis" by , Michael Alexander has translated old English poetry into modern English and into a verse form that retains the qualities of Anglo-Saxon metre and alliteration. Included in this selection are the heroic poems such as "Wildsith", "Deor", "Brunanburn" and "Maldon" and passages from "Beowulf".
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