Foreshadowing the End in Beowulf
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8862424 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Erin Sebo (0000-0001-8845-1882, Flinders University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 99 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 836-847 |
| Publication date | 2018-10-16 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | English Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0013-838X • E-ISSN: 1744-4217 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0013838x.2018.1516016 |
| OpenAlex | W2896920701 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 1 |
In this article, I will reconsider the function and meaning of three connected instances of the word fyren, 879a, 915b, and 1744b. Each occurs in a passage in which a character offers Beowulf advice by comparing him to either Sigemund or Heremod. In each case, the passage establishes a highly complex network of allusions which illuminates Beowulf’s present and his future. In each, I argue, it is possible to read fyren as a pun which foreshadows his fiery end. Intriguingly, the advice offered to Beowulf proves irrelevant, as the foreshadowing indicates. So, why is so much space dedicated to it? I suggest the answer to the question has a profound bearing on how we read the significance of the poem’s tragic ending
Art · Character (mathematics · Epistemology · Function (biology · Linguistics · Literature · Meaning (existential · Poetry · Word (group theory · Mathematics · Medieval Literature and History · History · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2021 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |