| dc.description.abstract | The goal of this thesis will be to conduct a survey of literature surrounding the Beowulf story and its many adaptations, specifically the ones relating to war and combat, for the purpose of determining how Beowulf adaptations reflect the increasingly complex nature of perceptions of and attitudes towards war throughout history. All too often, the martial aspects of Beowulf are dismissed as obvious and superficial, and scholars direct their efforts towards scouring the Beowulf story for more subtle subtext. However, the Beowulf story remains, at heart, a tale of soldiers and combat. This thesis will conduct a thorough investigation of Beowulf adaptations throughout history, from World War II to the Cold War (from both sides of the Iron Curtain) to modern adaptations that may yield insight into their creator’s feelings towards Middle Eastern conflict. As the nature of war shifts from national, conventional combat to occupation and counter insurgency, the feelings regarding war of the countries in question change, and their Beowulf adaptations reflect those changes. What are these changes, and why is Beowulf so often chosen to convey messages about war? | en |
