Seamus Heaney and Medieval Poetry

By Conor McCarthy

Book Overview

A remarkable survey of Heaney's work and its debt to medieval poetry. ...]McCarthy has presented a compelling analysis of Heaney's use of medieval poetry. THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW Seamus Heaney's engagement with medieval literature constitutes a significant body of work by a major poet that extends across four decades, including a landmark translation of 'Beowulf'. This book, the first to look exclusively at this engagement, examines both Heaney's direct translations and his adaptation of medieval material in his original poems. Each of the four chapters focuses substantially on a single major text: 'Sweeney Astray' (1983), 'Station Island' 1984], 'Beowulf' 1999] and 'The Testament of Cresseid' 2004]. The discussion examines Heaney's translation practice in relation to source texts from a variety of languages Irish, Italian, Old English, and Middle Scots] from across the medieval period, and also in relation to Heaney's own broader body of work. It suggests that Heaney's translations and adaptations give a contemporary voice to medieval texts, bringing the past to bear upon contemporary concerns both personal and political.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1843842068
• ISBN13: 9781843842064
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.2"