Over the course of the semester we will translate Beowulf in its entirety, using the edition of Friedrich/Frederick Klaeber, and so a prerequisite is a course in the Old English language, either G601 or its equivalent. Each class period will be devoted both to translation and to discussion of the poem and critical issues pertaining to it, such as the controversy over the genesis and date of the poem, its textual criticism, codicology, prosody and rhetoric, the relationship of the poem to other early Germanic literature, its structure and poetic aims, the possible makeup of the poem's audience, the roles of orality and literacy in its composition, the nature of the poem's religious outlook, and the history of the poem’s reception. In the first half of the semester the greater emphasis will be on translation, in order to hone competence in this area. To prepare for discussion, a certain amount of reading in Beowulf scholarship will be assigned for each class session. Members of the seminar will be responsible for reporting to the class on significant issues, and a seminar paper will be assigned. If there is sufficient time at the end of the semester there will be presentations of the seminar papers. Before the beginning of the semester, members of the seminar should have read the poem in translation. At the first class session we will translate the first 125 lines, and so members of the seminar should prepare these beforehand. In addition to the Klaeber text we will use Fulk, Interpretations of ‘Beowulf’ (Indiana Univ. Press, 1991).