Beowulf

Clark brings new insight to this reading of the Anglo-Saxon epic "Beowulf" by placing it firmly in the tradition of heroic narrative.

While most criticism thus far has concentrated on Beowulf's triumphant first battle, Clark helps the reader see how the hero's second and third battles lend a philosophical meaning much deeper than the clear moral vision of good vs. evil. In one of the only full-length studies to concentrate on the poem's narrative structure, Clark shows how its striking changes in style and tone illustrate the anonymous author's intention to raise universal questions about the value and meaning of life.