Beowulf Audiobook By Anonymous cover art

Beowulf

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Beowulf

By: Anonymous
Narrated by: J. B. Bessinger Jr.
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It's never been easy to be a hero. When Beowulf arrives at Hrothgar's hall, he discovers that the hall is beset by Grendel, an evil creature that kills and pillages with impunity. Beowulf, in heroic fashion, bests Grendel in combat, then follows Grendel back to his lair to finish the job.

But Beowulf couldn't have counted on meeting Grendel's mother.

And then, later, there's this dragon....

But why read about it? This story was meant to be told, to be repeated aloud. Listen as J. B. Bessinger, Jr., reads Beowulf and many other Old English poems, including Caedmon's Hymn. Listen to poems about love, war, faith, and heroism from centuries past.

Contents include: Caedmon's Hymn, The Dream of the Rood, The Wanderer, The Battle of Brunan Burg, A Wife's Lament, and selections from Beowulf: lines 1-125, lines 195-225, lines 702-852, and lines 3137-3180.

(P)1962, 1996, 2007 HarperCollins Publishers Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature Classics Epic European Literary History & Criticism Poetry Themes & Styles World Literature

Critic reviews

" Beowulf, the more important poem in Old English and the first major poem in a European vernacular language, is remarkable for its sustained grandeur of tone and for the brilliance of its style." ( The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature)
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The language in Beowulf is beautiful even if I don’t understand it. I listen to it while I sew.

Beautiful tale in old English

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I looked everywhere for an audio book in old English. It is awesome in its original.

Wonderful Old English

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This audiobook has Anglo Saxon (Old English) poetry narrated beautifully.

There is only about 24 minutes of Beowulf!

Beowulf starts with Chapter 3 and runs from 26:30 to 50:27.

As the "Publisher's Summary" states, this audiobook only contains a selection from Beowulf, namely:
lines 1-125, lines 195-225, lines 702-852, and lines 3137-3180.

These selections from Beowulf are so wonderful that I yearn for the complete poem by this narrator, Jess B. Bessinger, Jr. (1921-1994).

Bessinger was an English professor, "a popular teacher of Old and Middle English".

The poems in Chapters 1 and 2 were wonderful.

Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader has 89 lines of "The Dream of the Rood", while this audiobook only has the first 64 lines. The other poems were complete.

At 50:44 there is a PSA (Public Service Announcement) promoting audiobooks for children. So you're not getting a full 52 minutes of Old English.

This audiobook is the best I could find in Anglo Saxon. Dr. Bessinger was a splendid reader.

If Only There Were More!

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Evan if you don't understand old English there is something uplifting listening to it. While listening you can almost imagine being around a fire in a great hall hearing the story teller weaving the tale of a great hero. Very engrossing, very fun.

Fun

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This is truly magical to listen to. It instantly makes me feel like I am sitting around a fire and listening to the court scop perform the evening tale. Amazing.

Amazing Performance

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The performances are uneven, with occasionally eccentric pronunciation--albeit, none of us pronounce this literature the way it actually was spoken. The Caedmon's Hymn performance is strangely uninspired by its subject matter, even sounding a bit strange, as if it were about Oberon and Titania. The epic passages, however, and most of the others have more heart in them, so do not be dissuaded by the first track.

Uneven, but One of the Few out There

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A few minor pronunciation errors, but overall very well done! I would love a full, unabridged reading of the entire work!

Pretty Good!

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