Beowulf Translation and Commentary (Expanded Edition)

<p><em>Beowulf</em> composed around 700 A.D. is the first great epic poem in the English language. It tells the timeless story of a hero's fight against monsters and sets it against a complex background of political intrigue and tribal warfare. Situated in sixth-century Scandinavia the poem brings to life a magnificent world that fuses history with fantasy. Tom Shippey's new translation of <em>Beowulf</em> reflecting a lifetime of engagement with the poem<em> </em>makes its story clearer and more compelling than it has ever been. The original Old English text of <em>Beowulf </em>is included along with an extensive and innovative commentary which guides the reader passage-by-passage through the poem and its criticism. </p><p><br></p><p>In addition to the text translation and commentary this volume contains an extensive bibliography a translator's preface and an appended essay by Tom Shippey on Tolkien and <em>Beowulf-</em>A Lifelong Involvement. The 2<sup>nd</sup> edition (revised and expanded) adds new texts and translations (by Tom Shippey) of <em>Waldere</em> the <em>Hildebrandslied</em> and the <em>Fight at Finnsburg</em>. </p>