دانلود کتاب The Digressions in "Beowulf"

It is perhaps no exaggeration to say that few other features are more characteristic of the "Beowulf" than the use of numerous digressions and episodes. Though they represent less than a quarter of the poem, the investigations and comments to which they have given rise are probably as numerous as those which have been devoted to the rest of the poem.

What does this episodic material actually consist in? As regards the form and presentation of the digressional units, two types may be distinguished: the episodes and the digressions. Strictly speaking, an episode may be considered as a moment which forms a real whole and yet is merged in the main narrative, whereas a digression is more of an adjunction and generally entails a sudden break in the narrative.

As regards their subject matter and length, on the other hand, the digressional units are of the greatest diversity. Now if each individual digression has its own problems — and some of them are of great interest and variety — the one great question which is raised by the presence of so many and various digressions in the poem is that of their relation to the main story.