English 708X: Literature of the Middle Ages

Suggested Oral Report and Research Paper Topics

Spring 2003                                                                                          Prof. N. Black

Oral reports on Beowulf (research group 1)

1. Annotated bibliography of Beowulf-related Web sites. Provide as a handout for the class.
2. Beowulf: language and poetics; begin research by reading pp. xv-xxii in Norton Critical Edition (NCE).
3. Manuscript features and history; begin research by reading pp. 81-84 in NCE.
4. Comparison of two poetic translations to Seamus Heaney's translation; begin by reading pp. 237-47 in NCE, then look for one 'bad' translation and another 'good' translation.
5. Archeology and Beowulf, especially Sutton Hoo; begin by reading pp. 212-36 in NCE.
6. Beowulf and historical contexts; begin by reading pp. 167-81 in NCE.

Research topics for long paper: the ideal here is to gather new information and a variety of perspectives by reading secondary sources and synthesize this with your own interpretation of the text, documenting carefully which ideas are yours and which are those of your sources.

You may come up with other topics not on the list below, but if so, check out the topic with me before doing too much research on it.

1. Oral composition of Beowulf and its effect on the poetics.
2. Translation problems.
3. Archeology and Beowulf.
4. Relationship of Beowulf to other works in the manuscript.
5. Christian aspects of Beowulf.
6. Modern critical approaches to Beowulf (for example, feminist studies of Beowulf since 1980).