Beowulf (Seamus Heaney translation)
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 17+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
Long ago, a monster named Grendel attacks a king's great hall every night. A brave hero named Beowulf comes from across the sea and fights the monster, then the monster's mother. When he is an old king, he fights a dragon to save his people and dies. This is the great old poem of courage, in Heaney's award-winning modern verse. It is set among pagans before the faith reached them, yet it prays to the Father Almighty and traces its monsters back to Cain. Expect bloody fights and a sad ending. The age shown is 17, set by its twelfth-grade placement at Mother of Divine Grace, which is our independent reading age.
For parents
A strong reader can hear it read aloud from about fourteen. Independent reading from seventeen, in line with the Mother of Divine Grace twelfth-grade placement. Know before you start: the fights are bloody, an arm is torn off, a corpse is beheaded, and the hero dies. The world of the poem is pagan, with feasts, revenge and a funeral pyre. Ask: why does the poet say Grendel comes from Cain? Who does Beowulf thank when he wins? Is Wiglaf braver than the men who ran away? What does the poem get right about courage, and what does the Gospel add to it, like mercy and hope beyond death?