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BEOWULF Literary Concepts
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SETTING Setting refers to the time and place in which the action of a story occurs
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CONFLICT Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces Conflict drives the plot in narrative and dramatic writing
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EXTERNAL CONFLICT Occurs when a character struggles against an outside force, such as another character, a group of people, society, nature, or a divine power
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INTERNAL CONFLICT Occurs when the struggle takes place within a character’s mind – when trying to reach a decision or wrestling over a matter of conscience
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EPIC A long narrative poem that recounts the adventures of a hero
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CHAR. OF AN EPIC 1. The hero is a great leader strongly identified with a particular people or society 2. The setting is broad and often includes the upper and lower worlds
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CHAR. OF AN EPIC 3) The hero is larger than life, does great deeds in battle and/or undertakes an extraordinary journey
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CHAR. OF AN EPIC 4) Sometimes the gods or other supernatural or fantastic beings take part in the action 5) The story is told in heightened language
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EPIC HERO The epic hero is the central figure in a long narrative that reflects the values and heroic ideals of a particular society
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WHAT MAKES A HERO? http://wimp.com/makeshero/
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CHAR. of an EPIC HERO 1) Superior human strength 2) Supremely ethical 3) Is on a quest 4) Brave
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CHAR. of an EPIC HERO 5) During quest, must defeat monsters that embody dark, destructive powers 6) Glorified by the people he has saved
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CHAR. of an EPIC HERO 7) Fights to destroy evil in classic battle of good vs. evil 8) Loyal
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ALLITERATION The repetition of consonant sounds in words close to one another Example: “So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in this hall” (line 15)
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CAESURA To help oral poets remember their lines, Old English verse has a strong rhythm marked by a pause or break near the middle of every line – a Caesura
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CAESURA Example: “…loud in that hall, the harp’s rejoicing…” (line 4)
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KENNINGS Specialized metaphors made of compound words. Anglo-Saxon poets created beautiful, evocative phrases to stand for common words
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KENNINGS Writers use visual imagery to summon up mental pictures, or images, in a reader’s mind Descriptive, rather than figurative, in purpose
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KENNINGS Examples: - Sea paths (sea) - Heaven’s high arch (sky) - Fiercest of demons (Grendel) Any modern-day kennings?
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CHRISTIAN / PAGAN ELEMENTS Elements of both found Christian elements added by monk who wrote down the story of Beowulf
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