The Digressions in "Beowulf"

Description

It is perhaps no exaggeration to say that few other features are more characteristic of the "Beowulf" than the use of numerous digressions and episodes. Though they represent less than a quarter of the poem, the investigations and comments to which they have given rise are probably as numerous as those which have been devoted to the rest of the poem. What does this episodic material actually consist in? As regards the form and presentation of the digressional units, two types may be distinguished: the episodes and the digressions. Strictly speaking, an episode may be considered as a moment which forms a real whole and yet is merged in the main narrative, whereas a digression is more of an adjunction and generally entails a sudden break in the narrative. As regards their subject matter and length, on the other hand, the digressional units are of the greatest diversity. Now if each individual digression has its own problems — and some of them are of great interest and variety — the one great question which is raised by the presence of so many and various digressions in the poem is that of their relation to the main story. Introduction xi I. The Scyld Episode 1 II. Digressions Concerning Episodes of Beowulf’s Life and Geatish History 12 1. Beowulf’s Fight against the Giants 13 2. The Ecgtheow Digression 15 3. The Unferth Intermezzo 17 4. The Fall of Hygelac 22 5. Beowulf’s Inglorious Youth 24 6. Hygelac’s Death in Friesland, Beowulf’s Return by Swimming and his Guardianship of Heardred; the Second Swedish Wars 28 7. King Hrethel, the End of Herebeald, the Earlier War with the Swedes, Beowulf’s Slaying of Daeghrefh in Friesland 32 8. Weohstan’s Slaying of Eanmund in the Later Swedish-Geatish War 35 9. Hygelac’s Fall; the Battle at Ravenswood in the Earlier Swedish War 40 III. Historical, or Legendary, Digressions not Connected with Beowulf and the Geats 44 1. The Fate of Heorot 44 2. Stories of Sigemund and Heremod 46 3. Heremod’s Tragedy 48 4. The Story of Modthrytho, the Wife of Offa 53 5. The Finn and Heathobards Episodes 56 IV. Digressions of Biblical Character 64 V. The Elegy of the Last Survivor 68 Conclusion 70 Books Quoted 77 Index 79