Old English Literature
Beowulf was composed by an unknown Anglo-Saxon poet around 700 A.D
The action of the poem takes place around 500 A.D
The storyteller is a Christian poet, we know it, because he is often at pains to attribute Christian
thoughts and motives to his characters, who frequently behave in un-Christian ways.
Beowulf describes Saxon society.
Beowulf was re-discovered in 19th century, when the interest in the poem was primarily historical. In
1936, Oxford scholar J.R.R.Tolkien discovered the literaturistic side of the epic.
Beowulf has influenced Tolkien and all the other writers after him.
The epic has 3 parts, each focusing on Beowulf's fight with a particular monster.
The mains ideas of the epic is:
1) The importance of establishing identity
2) Tension between the heroic code and other value systems
3) Christian elements
4) The difference between a good warrior and a good king
5) Monsters
6) Oral traditions
7) The mead hall and the banquet
annaabi.ee 
