5th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Time: 3:00-3:20
Room: 312
Presenter: Victoria Griffin
Title: The Illusion of "Beowulf": How It Is Created and Destroyed by the Narrator
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Elizabeth Rambo, English

The narrator of "Beowulf" creates an illusion into which the reader is drawn, while simultaneously revealing gaps in the poem’s reality. The effect is a reading process that combines illusion with active interpretation. This combination has allowed "Beowulf" to outlast its intended audience.