1. What genres do the following texts belong to?
Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Give some examples from these texts that support your identification (for example: "Voluspa is an example of the _____ genre, as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: "Hear my words / you holy gods' (l.1) "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (l.3), etc).
2. What are some possible features of residual (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances?
3. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to site from the original texts).
4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
5. Discuss how Tolkien's use of "tradition" (e.g. older literary sources) differs from the techniques and agendas of modernism (see Week 7 in your Reader).
6. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
7. How does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematise" the hero-myth of Beowulf ?
8. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer).
Voluspa is commonly found to be a mythological poem, often concerning the exploits of the gods. This is found in the opening lines of 'The song of Volva' that reads, "Hear my words, you holy Gods", following the structure of a poem. It mentions nature and land alluding to the idea of God's creations. It is written in a format quite common to the opening of a bible verse, often making references to verbs that entail nature and animals.
ReplyDeleteVolsunga saga is focused on heroes and is an epic tale and can also be defined as a narrative or 'prose'. It portrays ‘Sigurd’ (a heroic figure) as a lonesome character “neither father have I nor mother, and all alone have I fared hither.” He conquers the villain in this circumstance being a ‘Worm’ with his mighty sword.
The story of Beowulf is a heroic poem. It’s central Character ‘Beowulf’ mentioned is “warden of the land” until he is challenged by a dragon that stalks the skies. Facing a tough fight ahead, It concludes with his heroism manifesting in the ending paragraph that reads ‘I would rather not use a weapon if I knew another way to grapple with the dragon and make good my boast as I did against Grendel in days gone by….’
The Hobbit and Lord of the rings is an epic Fantasy based genre. With The hobbit containing words such as ‘Dwarves’, which is basically a fictional word not technically in the English dictionary. There are unearthly beasts that appear in both stories such as Dragons. In Lord of the Rings garnishes it’s very own vocabulary with… ‘Edoras those courts are called,' said Gandalf, 'and Meduseld is that golden hall. There dwells Theoden son of Thengel, King of the Mark of Rohan’.
Hi. Just wated to make some comment. Particularly in Tolkien's novel the Lord of the Rings, there are completely new strange words which is not English and only used in the novel. Tolkien himself created them (e.g. languages used among elves characters) probably based on the Old English, Welsh, Celtic language he was interested in. From my point of view, it is a very unique feature of the novel and it makes the novel more valuable as a fantasy genre but at the same time, it can be somewhat difficult to read and understand the story for some readers like me. can be confusing. it's still good though.
DeleteQ7...The film Beowulf and Gendel gives a back story of the villain Grendels past. Within the Film it shows the villains father being killed before him. This creates a sense of sympathy as well as an explanation to the Villains actions. Thus 'problematising' the Hero Myth tradition. The old text does not give this backstory creating an emotinal distance bewtween us and the characters agendas and reasoning. We see him as two dimensional Evil, simply a black to the heros white. It wasnt with the past oral readers agendas to compilcate our emotions toward the villain. Within the text itself much debate can be made as to weather Grendel was human at all. To make the villain deeper and more relatable (human feelings of pain and loss) in the film was to differntiate from the Hero myth where the vllain usually is a complete contrast morallly and visually to the Hero.
ReplyDeleteQ6
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the old myths definitely still have its place in the modern world. The film ‘Beowulf and grendel’ we’ve seen might be a good example of the old myths theme used in the modern film. The old myths could be found more easily, for example, from the libraries and schools because until today they are even being studied and some students may be interested in learning them. Therefore, the old myths will continue existing as long as there are people who want to get to know the old literatures, history of English, resulted in making more films, books and participation in the old myths in the future modern world. And most of all, this is what we are doing here!
I agree with the above comment by FloydLee, and was going to write a lot of the same content myself. There is something else in regards to the movie I’d like to mention though. How about Selma, the American accented seer with come-hither eyes? It’s not only her accent that sets her apart- as a witch she lives on the outskirts of the gloomy Danish village and sees them from the outside so immediately our ears and eyes perk up curiously at what different point of view she might offer….
ReplyDeleteShe is not a member of the original tale and so none of her actions or their consequences are either, but in the film she fills the sort of feminine, mediator role that is needed for the less perceptive among us. Having been clumsily raped by the Troll, she has formed a curiously friendly bond with him and through her we are able to see some of his more human characteristics (as you have mentioned) come into action. She can understand his speech and is aware that his murderous intentions come from a place of hurt- so through her we are aware too. Her role as a seer is pretty important too- it gives us reason to believe that her warnings are worth listening to, despite the buffering from Rothgaard and Beowulf turning a blind eye because all these complications don’t mix well with his macho hero quest. So with this in mind I think Selma is an integral character in problematizing the hero myth of Beowulf. She helps to make him (and Rothgaard for that matter) seem a bit like insensitive guys with a destructive single-minded vision (and eye for an eye, total destruction for triumph!)
I think, in modern tales the original kind of hero myth such as Beowulf exemplifies, doesn’t really exist without complications. So although the base idea lives on- it is constantly shifting and evolving through the ages to represent something of contemporary society. I think that we’re so used to having access into analysing internal feelings that we wouldn’t really find the original tale so engaging in movie form if we had to just watch Beowulf beat up a monster and get congratulated for it without knowing something of what he felt, or the back-story of his enemy. It’s kind of like the move from black and white film to full colour spectrum.
Additional comment on Question 6
ReplyDeleteIn regard to a place that the old myths have in the modern world, probably books and films are the most common places where the old myths are still in. Especially in a modern film with a theme of an old myth like 'Beowulf', occasionally a film maker tends to give a slight change to an original story, perhaps to make the new one interesting for modern audiences or for other reasons. Some people who have seen just one of them (maybe seen the modern film but the old myth) may be interested in how those two genres are different. So they probably will have a look at the original old literature. This is I think why the places of such genre as books and films are important for making the old myth more prevalent today.
1. What genres do the following texts belong to?
ReplyDeleteVoluspa, the description of the creation and the doom of the world, is a mythological poetic genre as it exploits Gods such as Odin and Heimdall. In addition, these expressions 'Odin's will', 'ancient lore', 'Midgard' are things that appear in a mythological poem. For example, "Then Bur’s sons lifted up the land and made Midgard, men’s fair dwelling; the sun shone out of the south, and bright grass grew from the ground of stone." [in the 4th stanza]
Volsunga Saga is an epic prose, largely based on epic poetry. Like the mythological poem, Voluspa, heroes in the Norse mythology such as Sigurd and Brynhild appear in Volsunga Saga. 'Sigurd slaying the dragon, Fafnir' is also one of illustrations that tell it is a epic prose.
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem. We can tell that it's a heroic literature due to an appearance of the troll-like mythical monster character Grendel and the hero Beowulf who fights with Grendel, its mother and a dragon. In the end, they are all defeated by the hero Beowulf of Geats in Scandinavia. The epic poem mainly tells a story of battles that Beowulf had and how he becomes the king of Geats and his death afterwards. An example of becoming the king - "leaving Beowulf to ascend the throne, to sit in majesty and rule over the Geats. He was a good king"
The Hobbit is a children's fantasy novel. For example, in the novel there are characters such as 'the dwarves', 'the dragon Smaug', 'the small hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist' and more chapters introduce a specific creatures like 'Gollum'. These are things that young children can relate to.
The Load of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel (also, heroic quest / folktale genres) which is a sequel to Tolkien's earlier novel, The Hobbits. The later novel much developed in a large scale. High fantasy genre is considered to be a fantasy fiction set in an entirely fictional world, rather than the real world. Some fantastical elements such
as 'dwarves', 'dragons', 'demons', 'wizards', 'elves', and 'hobbits' in the novel, which can't exist in the real world, are typical characteristics of the high fantasy novel. What distinguishes the genre of the novel (high fantasy) from the others most is its use of Tolkien's created language, for example (elves' languages) in the middle-earth.
4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
Writing materials or themes/ ideas ( for example, specific creatures, dragons and a hero slaying the dragon ) are very commonly used in the literatures listed above. Thus, it can be assumed that ancient sagas and poems such as Voluspa, Beowulf and Volsunga Saga from the Old Norse and Old English texts were the sources for J.R.R Tolkien to draw an inspiration when writing both 'The Hobbits' and 'Lord of the Rings'. As a matter of fact, Tolkien had a huge interest in the Old English, Old Norse, Welsh and Celtic language which might've had an influenced on his works.
Genres of Text
ReplyDeleteVoluspa: Mythology genre
“There comes the dark dragon flying” (N.D, 1990, p. 50) and “Odin’s spear shot into the host … the victory was won by Vanir magic” (Terry 1990, p. 14)
Voluspa is not far from the Greek myths of Zeus & Medusa, it was a result of brilliant imagination and some challenging detailing so as to appeal to the audience of that time.
The Volsunga Saga: Epic Saga
Within the Volsunga Saga, a great deal of the story is based on the characters Sigurd & Sigmond, both of which faced unearthly challenges. As other epic stories go, the hero loses something important (in this case Sigmund), which drives Sigurd to slay Fafnir: At Fafnir’s deathbed, he says: “Sigurd I am called, and my father was Sigmund.” (Morris, 2001, p. 95).
Beowulf: Epic Poem
Yet, another great story of a Hero who against all odds fought battles that were not meant for ‘mortals’:
“After he had purged Hrothgar’s Hall, triumphant in Heorot and beaten Grendel” (Shmoop pp. 2345-2353).
The Hobbit: Fantasy genre
The way this novel is written, it gets the reader quite immersed within the storyline and one may find many instances in common from a generic lifestyle, such as Bilbo Baggins & Frodo’s friendships and sacrifices of friends. Then, there are these amazing creatures such as the trolls, and the imaginary maps make the book even more embroiled with the readers imagination.
Especially, since children go through the stage of ‘not being taken seriously as they are little’, they can relate more to the story of hobbits.
“It would have made only a tiny pocket knife for a troll but it was as good as a short sword for a hobbit” (Tolkien, 2012).
Lord of the Rings: Fantasy genre
Again written by Tolkien, 'Lord of the Rings' was filled with numerous fictional characters and portrayed elves and fairies, but the context of the story was much more mature and detailed. It was a world where the laws, even those of physics differed and that got the readers wondering.
Central Incidents
ReplyDeleteOne crucial fact common amongst all the above texts was that the ‘Hero’ of every particular theme accomplished achievements that far outweighed their capacity. They all went to great deals of challenges and, throughout the way, they received more and more experience as to how to kill the dragon, worm, etc. Their intensity also grew with the passing of the pages.
The Hobbit: “I found it on the ground where the trolls had their fight” (Tolkien, 2012).
Beowulf: “So Beowulf, when that barrow's warden; he sought, and the struggle; himself knew not; in what wise he should wend from the world at last.” (Shmoop 2010)
The Volsunga Saga: “Sigurd I am called, and my father was Sigmund.” (Morris, 2001, p. 95).
Voluspa: “Odin’s Son goes; with the monster to fight; Midgard’s Veor in his rage” (Terry 1990).
Q8.)
ReplyDeleteTolkien’s own creation The Hobbit was desired to be a pleasurable read. What is a Hobbit? That’s the question readers want to know. Originally created for his children, it was meant to be a “children’s tale,” but turned out to be a book for everyone to enjoy. Also, because it was popular with a wide audience, his publishers wanted a sequel -to which he wrote Lord of the Rings- (Tolkien).
I feel Tolkien used a lot of knowledge from mythology (especially Norse mythology) for his characters and his plots. The name Gandalf is related to the names found in Norse myths (primarily The Elder Edda, James Hans). Tolkien may have borrowed from these ancient myths and then used his own knowledge to expand upon them. However, I feel he brought The Hobbit to readers as a modernized concept of mythology.
It became a classic, by what it perceived and envisioned with various adventures and action sequences. The book keeps the reader's attention, for example; “In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit (chapter 1),” as we can see by the famous first line of the book. The first line of the book is destined to capture the reader’s attention and that is what this book achieves. The same goes for Lord of The Rings you could say because it is a spinoff The Hobbit. "This is the story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbors' respect, but he gained--well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end" (15-16). The book was meant to entertain readers and open their mind to a mythological world, with an amazing view for their imagination.
Q. 8 Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer).
ReplyDeleteIn The Lord of the Rings, for example, throughout the text, the author desires to express the social (background) context of the time when the author lived through the period of Industrial Revolution and the World Wars. The Middle-earth in the novel, which has an overall dark tone, appears to show his own experience of the time period with 'darkness'. According to Mathijs (2006), the novel well demonstrated "a wellspring of parallels between fictional characters, events and real-life, historical figures and event" (p.2) There was an large pollution as the result of the Industrialism. Tolkien, who went through the remaining effects of the industrial contamination on the environment, described the real life situation well in the novel. For instance, an ancient forest was ravaged from the evil of the dark side. On the other hand, there was a harmonious life of the Elves with nature from the good. It looks as if the social context was well expressed by contrasting those two. At the beginning of the tale, the tone is light and quite relaxed but as the story moves on it gradually becomes dark and serious. (SparkNotes Editors, 2002) It is likely to be the representation of England right after the World Wars.
The main purpose of the fantasy novel is simply for an entertainment. However, the purpose is more than just to entertain the readers. It also gives other values and ideas such as a sense of friendship, courage, loyalty, respect, sacrifice and hope. (Mathijs & Pomerance, 2006) All such broad themes truly can be found in the story via the characters. Therefore, the novel was intended to point a moral as well as an amusement. In my opinion, there are the intentions of the text.
References
Mathijs, E. (Eds.). (2006). The lord of the rings: Popular culture in
global context. London : Wallflower
Mathijs, E., & Pomerance, M. (Eds.). (2006). From hobbits to
hollywood: Essays on Peter Jackson's lord of the rings.
Amsterdam, New York.
SparkNotes Editors. (2002). Sparknote on the fellowship of the ring.
Retrieved June 13, 2012,from
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/fellowship/
8.)
ReplyDeleteBeowulf is no doubt meant to be a pleasurable read and an epic poem. A poem filled with entertainment, adventure, and supernatural beings. Though, a difficult question is how Beowulf is meant to be intended. Yes, there are many subtexts and themes throughout the book and debates following this topic.
There is a debate whether Beowulf is to be considered an epic poem or heroic elegy. Beowulf tells the tale through the hero genre. In additon, it has the warrior, struggle, supernatural elements. On the other hand, Beowulf can be seen as an elegy from other point of views. In the 1936 lecture on “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” Even J.R.R Tolkien –author of Lord the Rings and The Hobbit- said that Beowulf is more of an elegy than an hero poem. Eventually he ends up calling it “It is a heroic-elegiac poem; and in a sense all its first 3,136 lines are the prelude to a dirge,” and argues this point throughout his lecture. Dictionary.com describes an elegy as “a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially funeral song or a lament for the
dead.” It can be argued that the last three cantos of Beowulf mourn the lost of Beowulf and describe what a great leader and man he was. They basically talk about how Beowulf was important to the people and how they would mourn forever.
One of the more important themes in Beowulf is the idea of Pagan and Christian themes. Beowulf is said to be a book for Christian audiences and to show people the evils ways of Paganism. Beowulf is said to be written between the 7th century and the 10th century A.D. However, Beowulf is more associated with the 8th century, because it has a lot of Christian content. It shows the period of time, where in England they were making a switch from paganism to Christianity. Even though the author of Beowulf is anonymous, it said the author was believed to be Christian. Also, the 11th century has the only remaining manuscript of Beowulf. Some believe that the monks, who copied Beowulf, may have also inserted certain degrees of Christian morality into its text.
Beowulf is said to contain characteristics of a Pagan superhero. Beowulf had superhuman strength, choosing not to fight with weapons, but instead use his own strength. Even when Beowulf is very old in age, he is able to defeat the monster. On the other hand, Beowulf can be seen as a Christ-like figure. He was bought to help the people and free them of their sins i.e the monsters.
Beowulf can be seen as pure entertainment value, the classic story of good versus evil. The monsters represent the evil in human nature. Only Beowulf can defeat the monsters and bring peace back to the land. Even though he defeats the monster with his own life good still wins the war.
Throughout the book Beowulf the author illustrates many ways this book can be received. The book can let readers in on a peek into the 7-10th century through England and how religion was viewed and how the times were changing. I feel these themes are open to the individuals’ interpretation but some are undeniable.
Beowulf, Anonymous -. "Beowulf Background | GradeSaver." Study Guides & Essay Editing | GradeSaver. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2012. .
"Beowulf: Themes | LitCharts.com." LitCharts.com | LitCharts Study Guides | The faster, downloadable alternative to SparkNotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2012. .
Cummings, Micheal. "Beowulf Study Guide." Free Study Guides for Shakespeare and Other Authors. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2012. .
"Dictionary." Dictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2012. .