首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
"Beowulf" Historical Background The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English, is the earliest existing Germanic epic and
"Beowulf" Historical Background The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English, is the earliest existing Germanic epic and
admin
2018-07-24
26
问题
"Beowulf"
Historical Background
The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English, is the earliest existing Germanic epic and one of four surviving Anglo-Saxon manuscripts. Although Beowulf was written by an anonymous Englishman in Old English, the tale takes place in that part of Scandinavia from which Germanic tribes emigrated to England. Beowulf comes from Geatland, the southeastern part of what is now Sweden. Hrothgar, king of the Danes, lives near what is now Leire, on Zealand, Denmark’s largest island. The Beowulf epic contains three major tales about Beowulf and several minor tales that reflect a rich Germanic oral tradition of myths, legends, and folklore.
The Beowulf warriors have a foot in both the Bronze and Iron Ages. Their mead-halls reflect the wealthy living of the Bronze Age Northmen, and their wooden shields, wood-shafted spears, and bronze-hilted swords are those of the Bronze Age warrior. However, they carry iron-tipped spears, and their best swords have iron or iron-edged blades. Beowulf also orders an iron shield for his fight with a dragon. Iron replaced bronze because it produced a blade with a cutting edge that was stronger and sharper. The Northmen learned how to forge iron in about 500 b.c. Although they had been superior to the European Celts in bronze work, it was the Celts who taught them how to make and design iron work. Iron was accessible everywhere in Scandinavia, usually in the form of "bog-iron" found in the layers of peat in peat bogs.
The Beowulf epic also reveals interesting aspects of the lives of the Anglo-Saxons who lived in England at the time of the anonymous Beowulf poet. The Germanic tribes, including the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes, invaded England from about a.d. 450 to 600. By the time of the Beowulf poet, Anglo-Saxon society in Engiand was neither primitive nor uncultured. A
Although the Beowulf manuscript was written in about a.d. 1000, it was not discovered until the seventeenth century. B Scholars do not know whether Beowulf is the sole surviving epic from a flourishing Anglo-Saxon literary period that produced other great epics or whether it was unique even in its own time. C Many scholars think that the epic was probably written sometime between the late seventh century and the early ninth century. If they are correct, the original manuscript was probably lost during the ninth-century Viking invasions of Anglia, in which the Danes destroyed the Anglo-Saxon monasteries and their great libraries. However, other scholars think that the poet’s favorable attitude toward the Danes must place the epic’s composition after the Viking invasions and at the start of the eleventh century, when this Beowulf manuscript was written.
The identity of the Beowulf poey is also uncertain. D He apparently was a Christian who loved the pagan heroic tradition of his ancestors and blended the values of the pagan hero with the Christian values of his own country and time. Because he wrote in the Anglian dialect, he probably was either a monk in a monastery or a poet in an Anglo-Saxon court located north of the Thames River.
Appeal and Value
Beowulf interests contemporary readers for many reasons. First, it is an outstanding adventure story. Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon are marvelous characters, and each fight is unique, action-packed, and exciting. Second, Beowulf is a very appealing hero. He is the perfect warrior, combining extraordinary strength, skill, courage, and loyalty. Like Hercules, he devotes his life to making the world a safer place. He chooses to risk death in order to help other people, and he faces his inevitable death with heroism and dignity. Third, the Beowulf poet is interested in the psychological aspects of human behavior. For example, the Danish hero’s welcoming speech illustrates his jealousy of Beowulf. The behavior of Beowulf’s warriors in the dragon fight reveals their cowardice. Beowulf’s attitudes toward heroism reflect his maturity and experience, while King Hrothgar’s attitudes toward life show the experiences of an aged nobleman.
Finally, the Beowulf poet exhibits a mature appreciation of the transitory nature of human life and achievement. In Beowulf, as in the major epics of other cultures, the hero must create a meaningful life in a world that is often dangerous and uncaring. He must accept the inevitability of death. He chooses to reject despair; instead, he takes pride in himself and in his accomplishments, and he values human relationships.
The word which in the passage refers to
选项
A、tale
B、Scandinavia
C、manuscripts
D、Old English
答案
B
解析
"Although Beowulf was written by an anonymous Englishman in Old English, the tale takes place in that part of Scandinavia from which [that part of Scandinavia] Germanic tribes emigrated to England."
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/XCfO777K
0
托福(TOEFL)
相关试题推荐
WhatrulesapplytotakingdifferentobjectstotheCentre?Matcheachobjectwiththecorrectrule,A-C.Writethecorrectlett
ChooseTWOletters,A-EWhichTWOproblemsdoSamandthetutoridentifyconcerninggroupassignments?APersonalrelationships.
ChooseTHREEletters,A-ETheinventionofdifferentgearsonabicycleaffectedwhichTHREEofthefollowing?AWheelsizeBBa
Completethenotesbelow.WriteONEWORDAND/ORANUMBERforeachanswer.DRIVINGSCHOOLExampleAnswerLookingfordrivingless
Completethenotesbelow.WriteONEWORDAND/ORANUMBERforeachanswer.DRIVINGSCHOOLExampleAnswerLookingfordrivingless
ChooseTHREEletters,A-ETheinventionofdifferentgearsonabicycleaffectedwhichTHREEofthefollowing?AWheelsizeBBa
Whatproblemisidentifiedwitheachofthefollowingnaturaldyes?ChooseSIXanswersfromtheboxandwritethecorrectletter
Choosethecorrectletter,A,BorC.ProjectonusingnaturaldyestocolourfabricsWhatproblemdidJimhavewithusingtart
ChooseTHREEletters,A-F.WhichTHREEthingsarethestudentsrequiredtosubmittotheirprofessor?AawrittensummaryBnote
ResearchingtheoriginofmedievalmanuscriptsBackgroundMedievalmanuscripts—handwrittenbooksproducedbetweenthefifth
随机试题
某商场系增值税一般纳税人。适用增值税税率为17%。2010年春节期间为进行促销,该商场规定购物每满200元积10分,不足200元部分不积分,积分可在一年内兑换成与积分等值的商品。某顾客购买了售价为5850元(含增值税850元)、成本为4000元的服装,预计
按我国消费税制度规定,下列商品中,属于消费税课税对象的是
李方为平昌公司董事长。债务人姜呈向平昌公司偿还40万元时,李方要其将该款打到自己指定的个人账户。随即李方又将该款借给刘黎,借期一年,年息12%。下列哪些表述是正确的?
如题30图所示,三台同型号水泵在工作环境相同的情况下并联运行,并联时泵的效率点为()。
背景资料:某施工单位承建了一段二级公路路基工程,其中K3+220~K3+650为高填方路堤。路基填方高度最高为21.2m,地面以下有约6m的软土层。施工单位采用强夯处理地基,采用水平分层填筑路堤。高填方路堤横断面示意图如图1所示。
()是从消防安全管理的空间范围上看,消防安全管理活动具有全方位的特征。在日常生产和生活中,可燃物、助燃物和着火源可以说是无处不在,凡是有需要用火或是容易形成燃烧条件的场所,都是容易造成火灾的场所,也就是消防安全管理活动应该涉及的场所。
小红证明命题和定理时,需要将数字符号和概念组合起来运用。这是()
下列各句所涉及的年龄,由小到大排列正确的一项是()①余自束发读书轩中②豆蔻梢头二月初③既加冠,益慕圣贤之道④年近知命,位止方州⑤行行向不惑,淹留遂无成
InalabinOxfordUniversity’sexperimentalpsychologydepartment,researcherRoiCohenKadoshistestingarelativelynewbrai
在考生文件夹下有student(学生)、course(课程)和score(选课成绩)3个表,利用SQL语句完成如下操作:(1)查询每门课程的最高分,要求得到的信息包括"课程名称"和"分数",将查询结果存储到max表中(字段名是"课程名称"和"分数"),并
最新回复
(
0
)