Beowulf and Other Stories : An Introduction to Old English, Old Icelandic and Anglo-Norman Literature - AND Beowulf, a Longman Cultural Edition (Package ed)

Until now, Old English has been a phrase to strike fear into the hearts of students of English.

A combination of remoteness, both of time and language, and a general sense of disconnectedness has meant that Old English has sometimes been remembered as a chore, a slog through the foothills of literature. 'Beowulf' & Other Stories has been conceived in the firm belief that Old English - and its close cousins, Old Icelandic and Anglo-Norman - should be seen as a genuine delight, a period as replete with wonder and creativity and magic as any other in literature. The book forages with abandon through the literature of the period, turning up en route the fire and bloodlust of the great epic, Beowulf, and the sophistication and eroticism of the Exeter Riddles.

Fresh interpretations give new life to the spiritual ecstasy of The Seafarer and to the imaginative dexterity of The Dream of the Rood. 'Beowulf' & Other Stories provides the student and general reader with all they might need to explore and enjoy this complex but rewarding field. The book sheds light, too, on the shadowy contexts of the period, with suggestive and highly readable essays on matters ranging from the dynamism of the Viking Age to Anglo-Saxon input into Lord of the Rings, from the great religious prose works to the transition from Old to Middle English.

Beowulf & Other Stories also branches out into related traditions, with expert introductions to the Icelandic Sagas, Viking Religion and Norse Mythology.

Peter S. Baker provides an outstanding guide to taking your first steps in the Old English language, while David Crystal provides a crisp linguistic overview of the entire period.

Written throughout with verve, panache and a deep understanding of its subject, 'Beowulf' & Other Stories is set to be the standard introduction to the field for many years to come.