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Books Features

New Medieval Books: Wolves in Beowulf and Other Old English Texts

Wolves in Beowulf and Other Old English Texts

By Elizabeth Marshall

D.S. Brewer
ISBN: 978 1 84384 640 6

Wolves rarely get positive depictions in the Middle Ages, and the same is true for Old English texts. This book examines various references to these animals in Beowulf, the Passiones Edmundi (Passion of Saint Edmund, King and Martyr), and Wulf and Eadwacer, along with a few other texts. It further examines the literary connections between wolves, outlaws, demons and Satan.

Excerpt:

Using an ecocritical approach which foregrounds the wolves and wolfen creatures within Wulf and Eadwacer, the Passiones Edmundi, and Beowulf, this book offers fresh interpretations of each text within an historical framework, suggesting that the portrayal of these lupine characters from the classical tradition which was disseminated widely throughout Roman and early medieval Europe, and one gained from analogous tradition shared between early medieval England and Scandinavia, the first written records of which are found in the laws which governed the early Frankish kingdoms.

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Who is this book for?

There are two audiences that will find this book useful – first, those with a background in Old English literature. The second group will be those who study animals in the Middle Ages. In either case, one should read Beowulf and the other two main Old English texts before delving into these pages.

The author

Elizabeth Marshall did her Ph.D. at the University of St Andrews, with her dissertation going on to become the basis of this book. Marshall now works as a freelance teacher, writer and editor, and is focusing her research on wolves in the Middle Ages. Click here to visit her website or follow Elizabeth on Twitter @wordsandwolves

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You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website

You can also buy this book from Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

 

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