THE FUNCTIONS OF DIGRESSIONS IN BEOWULF
Michał Urbanowicz
OlsztynAbstract
The article aims at establishing the reasons why digressions constitute an integral part
of Beowulf. It shows the wide variety of ways how these stylistic devices are related to the
main plot of the poem and the latest approach towards the task of analysis. Moreover, the
author rejects the misguided notion of digressions being nothing more than just “tasteless
intrusions”. Even though the purpose of some digressions may not seem perfectly straightforward,
all of them contribute to the artistry of the poem. Therefore, Beowulf has to be analysed
in terms of a work of art and should not be regarded as valuable for merely historical
significance.
Keywords:
Old English literature, Beowulf, digressions, Adrien Bonjour, John Ronald Reuel TolkienReferences
Bjork, R.E., Niles, J.D. (1997). A Beowulf Handbook. Nebraska, University of Nebraska
Press.
Bonjour, A. (1950). The Digressions in Beowulf. Oxford, Blackwell.
Brodeur, A.G. (1959). The Art of Beowulf. California, University of California Press.
Heaney, S. (2000). Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. New York, London, W.W. Norton &
Company, Inc.
Huffman, R. (2009). The Purpose of Digressions in Beowulf. Available on-line: <http://ezinearticles.
com/?The-Purpose-of-Digressions-in-Beowulf&id=2909879/>. Date of access:
6.12.2012.
Johns, R. Scot (2012). The Saga of Beowulf. Boise, Fantasy Castle Books.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1936). Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics. London, British Academy.
Tristram, H.L.C. (1997). Medieval Insular Literature Between the Oral and the Written II:
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Press.
Bonjour, A. (1950). The Digressions in Beowulf. Oxford, Blackwell.
Brodeur, A.G. (1959). The Art of Beowulf. California, University of California Press.
Heaney, S. (2000). Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. New York, London, W.W. Norton &
Company, Inc.
Huffman, R. (2009). The Purpose of Digressions in Beowulf. Available on-line: <http://ezinearticles.
com/?The-Purpose-of-Digressions-in-Beowulf&id=2909879/>. Date of access:
6.12.2012.
Johns, R. Scot (2012). The Saga of Beowulf. Boise, Fantasy Castle Books.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1936). Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics. London, British Academy.
Tristram, H.L.C. (1997). Medieval Insular Literature Between the Oral and the Written II:
Continuity of Transmission. Tübingen, Gunter Narr Verlag.
Urbanowicz, M. (2013). THE FUNCTIONS OF DIGRESSIONS IN BEOWULF. Acta Neophilologica, 2(XV), 213–223. Retrieved from https://czasopisma.uwm.edu.pl/index.php/an/article/view/929
Michał Urbanowicz
Olsztyn
Olsztyn
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