Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Syntax of Beowulf: Word Order, Poetic Meter, and Formulaic Technique in the Old English Verse Clause

The Syntax of Beowulf: Word Order, Poetic Meter, and Formulaic Technique in the Old English Verse Clause

Russom, Geoffrey

Paperback

Old & Middle EnglishLiterary CriticismGeneral Poetry

ISBN10: 196136123X
ISBN13: 9781961361232
Publisher: Uppsala Books
Published: Aug 10 2025
Pages: 426
Weight: 1.25
Height: 0.95 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English

In this monumental contribution to Old English philology, Geoffrey Russom integrates important discoveries about syntax, meter, and oral-formulaic composition to interpret striking differences between Old English poetry and prose, including many differences that have previously evaded detection. The prehistory of English word order is traced from about 300 BCE, when alliterative meter was born, to the era of Beowulf (about 700 CE). Evolution of poetic word order is then explained as a response to syntactic evolution -- a response significantly delayed by formulaic poets who valued their ancient technique. An analysis is provided for every clause in Beowulf, with each concrete example accompanied by verse numbers for all similar examples. Russom's integrated approach brings to light general principles of verse structure and formulaic composition that apply in other languages and other poetic traditions as well.

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