This lesson asks students to reflect upon the nature of translation not as an act of accurate representation of a literary work but as an act of interpretive re-creation.
John Niles reminds us that translations of a literary work are not the literary work itself, but an “imaginative reconstruction” of it. Regardless of whether or not a translation is good or bad, a translation reflects a number of interpretive choices made by the translator. For instance, the translator of a literary work is confronted with the fact that it might not be possible to accurately represent the style, diction, grammar, syntax, meter, rhythm, connotation, ornamentation, verse form, and use of language of the original work, and therefore they must decide which, if any of characteristics of the original, will be attempted. Likewise, translators must decide whether or not their translation should strive to be a work of art in its own right or if it should sacrifice artistic quality for accurate representation.
1. Tell the students that some of the essential questions we will be looking at as we study Beowulf are: What does it take to be real hero? What does it mean to be a real hero? Who are the heroes of today?
2. Show the Beowulf/Old English PowerPoint. The idea behind listening to and seeing the Old English is not to try to understand the language but to hear and see the alliteration, meter, rhythm, and diction of the poem.
3. Read the Seamus Heaney Beowulf translation up until Beowulf arrives at Heorot.
4. Make comparisons to the LOTR.
Homework Collected: None
Homework Given: Independent Movie Viewing assignment due on Friday, January 15th (movie list)
Handouts: Independent Movie Viewing Assignment
To Read: Beowulf - Seamus Heaney Translation #1 (see Mrs. Tyler for a copy)
