Newburn, 1

Chris Newburn
Mrs. Rutan
AP Literature and Comprehension
7 October 1013

Between the Lines of Beowulf
The majesty of words and letters that create a book are incredibly impeccable and
breathtaking. The thousands of words that are bound between two covers can illustrate a story
that cant be told any other way. The words jump of the page to paint a picture within the
readers mind that no feeling can compare to. One page of literature could be much more than
just a cluster of words and phrases. There are ideas, issues and connections that can be made
within any book but the clues the reader is supposed to look for arent always easy to find. Every
reader connects to a story on a different level but it is Thomas C. Foster who elaborates on the
analysis that can be made within literature. His bookHow to Read Literature Like a
Professoris an informational piece of writing that discusses theories, which he has construed,
about reading on a more analytical level. It offers many conceptual ideas about reading beyond
just the setting and the characters to discover the meaning and hidden ideas that the auther has
placed within their piece of art. A multitude of his sound principles can be applied to the timeless
epic poem, Beowulf.
It is evident in Beowulf that the main idea of the story is the protagonist going on his
quest. Beowulfa great warriorwas seeking a spine tingling quest that would propose some
sort of challenge for the hero and he found it in the country of Denmark. Foster states that there a
several necessities a story must have for there to be a quest; they are (a) a quester; (b) a place to
go; (c) a stated reason to go there; (d) challenges and trials en route; and (e) a real reason to go
there.(Foster, 3). These needs are all filled within the story since, the quester is obviously
Newburn, 2
Beowulf, the place to go is Denmark, and the reason to go there is to free the people of their fears
from the monster Grendel. While on the quest he faces a few challenges en route because of
some seas serpents and other beasts that attack, and lastly the real reason to go on the quest is to
free the Danes from the mother of Grendel, a Devil-shaped woman(44; 8-9). Foster also argues
that quests are not only to help others. He states that the real reason for a quest is always self-
knowledge(Foster, 3) and this idea flourished when Beowulf discovered something about
himself. Beowulf had to fight the evil demon that was Grendels Mother, and while this was
occurring he learned to not trust in the steel of man but to trust in himself and his own hand-grip
(51; 59); at that point he learned to fully trust in himself and never let his own strength back
down. Lastly Foster says that all quests have a different reason in the end as to why they
journeyed on the quest. He says that in every story that the stated goal will fade away(Foster,
5) and this is very true within the epic poem. Beowulf originally travels to Denmark to confront
the demon Grendel and in the end he defeats the demons mother and has to slay a giant dragon,
which eventually leads to his demise. Beowulfs mission is a suspenseful and an action-packed
story that takes many twists and turns but in the end, it is still just an ordinary quest.
Foster also argues a topic that is huge within the story of Beowulf; this topic is the
importance of monsters. He says that monsters always mean more than just monsters; they are
there to represent or symbolize something. There is a clear use of monsters within the story of
Beowulf because of the undeniable abundance of them. There are demons(44; 47), sea
serpents(49; 42), and dragons(81; 10) throughout the story. So there is no scarcity of monsters
but what do all of these terrible creatures represent? Well for starters, this is such a terrible time
of the world to live in so it could signify the fact that no matter how bad a world may seem, there
is still some good within its boundaries. The monsters also cannot just supply adversity for
Newburn, 3
Beowulf. They tested him, helping him learn lessons about his own strength. They also gave him
one other grant that nothing else could. They silenced all of his naysayers and non- believers. A
man named Unferth questioned Beowulfs strength and stamina before he had his confrontation
with Grendel and he said that Then I ween thou wilt find thee less fortunate issue, Though ever
triumphant in onset of battle, A grim grappling, if Grendel thou darest, For the space of a night
near-by to wait for!(20; 27-29) This means that he is claiming Grendel will definitely outdo
Beowulf if Beowulf is foolish enough to fight him. However in the end of Beowulfs days on
earth he clearly silenced everyone who ever questioned his ability or his skill since he was a
distinguishably phenomenal warrior.
Foster also discusses the art of a baptism within a book. He states that when a character
gets submerged underwater, they undergo rebirth(Foster, 159). This means that they become a
changed person, whether it is positive or negative is up to the author. No one can argue that this
does not occur during the story of Beowulf. When the heroin must go into battle against the evil
hag that is Grendels mother, he must go underwater and make his way down to her lair. Before
he arises from the depths, the water turned a gory(54; 35) red color and all the spectators
thought that Beowulf had died. After a few moments he finally ascended out of the water while
holding Grendels head on a spear to signify his triumph over the two horrendous creatures. Also
when he rose from the water he didnt just cleanse himself, but he cleansed the country as well.
The population as a whole was terrified of Grendel and Beowulf came to rescue to deliver the
people a rebirth. They went back to the way things were before man-eating monsters and
everything was glorious after Beowulf wiped Denmark clean.
Lastly Foster addresses the impact of referencing the Bible in literature. Referencing the
Bible in a story can be as simple as referencing Jesus Christ by name or it can be as subtle as the
Newburn, 4
plot being close to that of a Bibles story. In this case the stroy has a little bit of both styles.
Foster stated Beowulf is largely about the coming of Christianity into the old paganism of
northern Germanic societyafter being about a hero overcoming a villain named.(Foster, 51)
The book Beowulf does address many Biblical themes, much like Foster has said. The whole
story of Beowulf is about a man going to a country and helping the people free themselves from
a demon, and this demon is also a descendant from Cain. Now Cain is one of the worst villains in
the Bible. The man killed his brother because he coveted his successfulness and he later lied
about his sin to God himself. So if the monster descended from an evil person who broke 3
commandments in a matter of 3 minutes, then the he must be pretty incredulous person. If
Beowulf went to a country to free people from Gods enemy, then he must be a Christ-like
figure. He is the people of Denmarks savior and anytime someone is a savior that almost always
entails Christianity.
A minimum of four of Fosters theories apply to Beowulf completely and there are
probably many more. The epic poem in itself is a shorter read but its 90 pages can turn into 900
if all the information is being taken in. The story is a phenomenal classic read when all of the
theories are taken into account. The reader can truly see what the author was thinking and feeling
when this story was told and retold throughout the generations. Beowulf the man was clearly the
savior of the people and he learned a thing or two along his quest and without Fosters theories,
these secrets would not have been revealed. There is always a little something extra in a story;
the information to be found is just between the lines.

Newburn, 5
Beowulf edition:
Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon Poem; translated by LESSLIE HALL, Ph. D.