34. Cain and Beowulf: A Study in Secular Allegory by David Williams

Category: 50 Books

34. Cain and Beowulf: A Study in Secular Allegory by David Williams

I love Beowulf. And not only do I love reading the poem, I love reading stuff about the poem. This lit. crit. was so interesting to read. It was filled with examples of how Cain and Grendel and Grendel’s mother and the dragon (and even Unferth!) are all “related”. It was a bit redundant in parts, but that is forgivable because the author is trying to give as many examples as possible.

I will say that he used the word exegesis (and its variations i.e. exegetical) approximately three times on every page. So THAT got a bit tedious. But I found the book really interesting, especially the way the author describes how the poet used historical and fantastical events to relate to his 8th century audience.

And I’ve always been confused when teachers/authors/whoever say that Beowulf was Christianized (or turned it into Christian propaganda) because it’s never felt like that to me (mainly because there’s not a Christ-figure nor is there anyone trying to save souls by proclaiming the Word so, I never understood what the hell anyone was talking about when they bitched and moaned about the poem being bastardized by monks or whatnot.). The author kind of explains it better than I’ve ever heard it explained before.

It’s a great study on Beowulf. It will make you want to dust off your copy of the poem and read it again.

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