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Article: Richard North, The Origins of Beowulf: From Beowulf to Wiglaf.(Book review)
- Article from:
- Medium Aevum
- Article date:
- September 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Society for the Study of Mediaeval Languages and Literature. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Richard North, The Origins of Beowulf: From Beowulf to Wiglaf (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), xviii + 368 pp. ISBN 978-0-19-920661-2. 68.00 [pounds sterling].
Richard North's assertion in this fascinating and wide-ranging monograph is that Beowulf was composed, some time in the late 820s, as an ambivalent monument to the Mercian king Beornwulf at the instigation of his successor the ealdorman Wiglaf. In reaching this conclusion he explores the epic poem, uncovering echoes of the Aeneid, re-castings of Scandinavian legend, and resonances with the dynastic politics of Mercia either side of the year 800. Many parts of this study provide fascinating insights ...