The Anglo‐Saxon poem Beowulf is considered to be the highest achievement of Old English poetry and the earliest surviving European vernacular epic. This product includes the complete text of the poem in both modern and Old English, an Anglo‐Saxon dictionary with grammatical reference and audio pronunciation guide, essays and video tutorials by literary experts, as well as teacher’s notes and many other features. Medieval music by the group Tarleton’s Jig provides an interesting backdrop, along with manuscript illuminations which appear behind the various menu choices. Menu choices include access to the poem itself in both modern and Old English, as well as an overview of each of the 43 fitts; an Anglo‐Saxon dictionary; Sources for Research; Teacher’s Notes; an overview of the Anglo‐Saxon language; Genealogies of the major characters; Literary Criticism and expert analysis by classic and modern scholars; The Anglo‐Saxon Age; Authorship of the poem; and Other Poems of the Anglo‐Saxon period.
There are some QuickTime videos scattered throughout the product, especially in the Literary Criticism section, where a number of scholarly experts answer questions through interactive tutorials. In the Overview section of the Other Poems area, a video recreation of the Battle of Maldon has been included from Cromwell Production’s War Poets. Finally, users can actually hear the poem read in Old English in the Anglo‐Saxon Language section. A bibliography and Internet Index are included in the Sources for Research, as are a timeline of events and other important characteristics of the Anglo‐Saxon period. The Teacher’s Notes section provides writing assignments and classroom exercises, and the Other Poems section includes various excerpts from other Anglo‐Saxon poems such as“The Battle of Maldon,” “The Battle of Brunanburh,” the “Finnesburgh Fragment,” “Dream of the Rood,” “The Wanderer,” and “The Seafarer.”
This is an excellent product to introduce this poem, as well as the Anglo‐Saxon period, to high school and college students. Navigation was somewhat confusing at times, since the Previous button will often take users to some place different than the previous screen. Besides general and specific search mechanisms, the Help screen is especially useful, as it provides information on the entire product and how to navigate it. I would highly recommend this product for anyone interested in learning about the Beowulf poem, the Anglo‐Saxon period, or the medieval period in general. It is an excellent introduction to these areas.
