Beowulf

Boast, Story Arc, Oral Tradition, Epic, Heros

Journey, Illustrate, Wergyld, and Wyrd

Story Arc

Define Story Arc

Astory arcis an extended or continuing
storyline in episodic storytelling media
such as television, comic books, comic
strips, board games, video games, and
films with each episode following a
narrativearc. On a television program, for
example, the storywould unfold over
many episodes.
Define story arc in your own terms in your
vocabulary section of your notebook.
Draw and label the story arc.

Group Work
Choose a movie, TV series, or book that you have
seen or read and draw and label its story arc.
Exposition (or opening scene, status quo)*
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Denouement (or resolution) *

*Define these terms first in your vocabulary section

Oral Tradition
Oral traditionis
information passed
down through the
generations by word
of mouth that is not
written down. This
includes historical
and
culturaltraditions,
literature and law.

Epic
An Epic is a long
poem, typically
one derived from
ancient oral
tradition,
narrating the
deeds and
adventures of
heroic or
legendary figures
or the history of a
nation.

Epic
The hero is usually the representative of
the values of a certain culture, race, nation
or a religious group on whose victor of
failure the destiny of the whole nation or
group depends. Therefore, certain
supernatural forces, deus ex machina,
help the hero, who comes out victor at the
end. An epic usually starts with an
invocation to muse, but then picks up the
threads of the story from the middle and
moves on to the end
Define deus ex machina in your
vocabulary section

Deus ex machina
Refers to the circumstance where an
implausible concept or a divine character
is introduced into a storyline for the
purpose of resolving its conflict and
procuring an interesting outcome.
Latin for God from the machine
Modern epics are: Lord of the Rings, Troy,
Interstellar, Inception, Gravity, Gladiator,
Armageddon, Braveheart, etc.
Some critics find that having deus ex
machina in the story suggests a flawed

Heros Journey

Monomyth/Heros
Journey
In storytelling and comparative mythology,
the monomyth, or the hero's journey, is
the common template of a broad category
of tales that involve a hero who goes on an
adventure, and in a decisive crisis wins a
victory, and then comes home changed or
transformed.
Define monomyth: mono + myth

Heros Journey
Introduced by
Joseph Campbell in
The Hero with a
Thousand Faces

What Makes a Hero?

View TedEd Talk by Mathew Winkler
Take notes in Notes section of your
notebook

Core values of AngloSaxon Culture

Generosity
Value of human life (wergild)
Loyalty
Fate (wyrd)
Kinship (local tribes rather than
geography)
Paternal reputation (boast)

Core Values
Define each of these values in your
vocabulary section of your notebook:
Generosity
Value of human life (wergild)
Loyalty
Fate (wyrd)
Kinship (local tribes rather than geography)
Paternal reputation (boast)

Beowulf & Grendel

Read Grendel
section in groups of
four
Lines 710-90

Grendel & Beowulf

In your group answer the question: How
does news of Grendel reach Beowulf?
In Journal section, write how the Internet is
similar to Oral Tradtion?
Write a one sentence answer at the top of
a new piece of paper
Illustrate the similarites between the
Internet and Oral Tradition

Homework
Read pages 25-50 (lines 839-1739)
Be prepared for a comprehension and
analytical quiz at the beginning of next
class.