Monday, 9/12: Beowulf

.5  We may say there are two basic kinds of writing, prose and verse.  

1.  Old English Verse
        * Alliterated, not rhymed
        * Could have any number of syllables but only four stressed per line (not a descendent of the Greek, counted meter poetry)
        * Each line was called a stich (pronounced STIK) and had four stressed syllables.
        * Each half line was a hemistich (HEM e stik) and had two stressed syllables.  There was a natural pause in the middle of each line.
         * Any pause in verse is called a caesura.
         * This verse style lost place to metrical verse around the time of Shakespeare, but it remains a poet's prerogative to employ.
         * It was not divided into stanzas

Beowulf is bee-wolf, bee-hunter; consider.
Heorot is hart; consider.
Unfearth is without peace; consider.
How is Grendel like Cain?
Rather sour conclusion?  Consider.

2. Begin reading Dr. Peter Leithart's post on Beowulf's Germanic background.

HW: J7 Finish reading Dr. Leithart's post.  Answer these questions: According to Dr. Leithart, what challenges did Christian missionaries face before the Germanic tribes converted?  What challenges after?