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Beowulf is by far the most popular text of the medieval world taught in American classrooms, at both the high school and undergraduate levels. More students than ever before wrestle with Grendel in the darkness of Heorot or venture into the dragon’s barrow for gold and glory. This increase of attention and interest in the Old English epic has led to a myriad of new and varying translations of the poem published every year, the production of several mainstream film and television adaptations, and many graphic novel versions. More and more teachers in all sorts of classrooms, with varying degrees of familiarity and training are called upon to bring this ancient poem before their students. This practical guide to teaching Beowulf in the twenty-first century combines scholarly research with pedagogical technique, imparting a picture of how the poem can be taught in contemporary American institutions.
Larry Swain is an associate professor at Bemidji State University and teaches at Signum University. His academic work focuses on early medieval preservation and appropriation of classical literature and culture.
Ophelia Eryn Hostetter is an associate professor of English at Rutgers University-Camden, teaching Old and Middle English. They are the proprietor of the Old English Narrative Poetry Project, an open-access repository of literary translations of early English poetry.