Beowulf Unlocked

The most original and ground-breaking work on Beowulf in several decades, this book uses lexomic methods that blend computer-assisted statistical analysis with traditional approaches to reveal new and surprising information about the construction and sources of the greatest surviving Old English poem. Techniques of cluster analysis identify patterns of vocabulary distribution that indicate robust similarities and differences among segments of the poem. The correlation of these patterns with knowledge gained from source-study, philological analysis, and neglected previous scholarship sheds new light on the material of which Beowulf was made and the way it was composed. The implications of this investigation for the dating, structure, and cultural context of Beowulf will overturn the current scholarly consensus and significantly improve our understanding of the poem, its nature, and origins.

Breaks new ground by approaching the famed text of Beowulf through a first-of-its-kind approach Spans four years of development and multiple researchers to achieve its research goal Expands the horizons of literary studies through its unique development of computer assisted statistical analyses tailored for Beowulf.

Autorentext

Michael D.C. Drout is Professor of English at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, USA. He is the author of How Tradition Works and Tradition and Influence in Anglo-Saxon Literature.

Yvette Kisor is Professor of Literature at Ramapo College of New Jersey, USA. Her essays on medieval literature, particularly Anglo-Saxon, include publications in Anglo-Saxon England, The Chaucer Review, and ANQ.

Leah Smith is an independent scholar, as well as a public artist and art educator, working in Providence, RI, USA. She was a member of the Wheaton Lexomics Research Group from 2011-2014.

Allison Dennett is an independent scholar and childcare provider, working in Portsmouth, NH, USA. She was a member of the Wheaton Lexomics Research Group in 2013.

Natasha Piirainen is an independent scholar and a project associate working for an education non-profit in Portland, Maine, USA. She was a Mars Fellow, a Gertrude Adams Professional Development Fellow, and a member of the Wheaton Lexomics Research Group in 2013.

Inhalt

Introduction.- Lexomic Methods.- Text Preparation of Beowulf.- Cluster Analysis of Beowulf.- Interpretation of the Cluster Analysis.- Conclusions Drawn from Cluster Analysis.- Bibliography.- Index