What does Beowulf have in common with brussels sprouts?
You know the eighth-century epic is culturally nutritious, but boy, is it hard to get down - especially since it's written in Old English, which is unintelligible to modern readers.
Some lit majors whine that Beowulf, which was composed between 700 and 750 by Anglo-Saxon bards and is considered England's first masterpiece, is boring, lame. Un-sexy.
Try telling that to Angelina Jolie, who sexes up the saga plenty with her scene-stealing, if unintentionally comic, turn as a super-seductive, nude dragon lady in Robert Zemeckis' $70 million Beowulf, which opens tomorrow.
Jolie isn't the only Tinseltown bookworm besotted with the poem. There's been a tidal wave of Beowulf-ania over the last two years, including four movies; a concert DVD featuring a recital of the poem; and a new opera directed by Julie Taymor.
Oh, and let's not forget Ubisoft's Beowulf: The Game!
The Tolkien effect
Beowulf recounts the exploits of a preternaturally strong hero from Geatland (southwestern Sweden) who is tested by three dread foes.
He first travels to Denmark to prove his heroism by vanquishing the evil Grendel, who has been killing and eating Danes for a dozen years.
Beowulf then squares off against Grendel's mum (Jolie in Zemeckis' film), who seems miffed by her boy's demise. A half-century later, Beowulf, who is now king of Geatland, sacrifices his life to defend his people from a dragon.
John Vickrey, an expert in Anglo-Saxon languages, said the poem has endured because it's such an archetypal tale about the hero, "who teaches us that each of us must conquer our fear of death."
So it's a classic. But why is it such a hot property?
To Sister Elaine Glanz, a medievalist at Immaculata University in Chester County, the reason is not too hard to fathom. She said it's natural that filmmakers would turn to Beowulf after the success of The Lord of the Rings. (Beowulf, it so happens, was a J.R.R. Tolkien favorite.)
Glanz said the poem is also a known quantity, since "at some point most people encounter it in high school or college."
But, like many academics, she complained that current appropriations of Beowulf "don't do the poem any justice" because they play fast and loose with the text.
Open to interpretation
