Beowulf's Popular Afterlife in Literature, Comic Books, and Film by Kathleen Forni

Abstract

Reviewed by: Beowulf's Popular Afterlife in Literature, Comic Books, and Film by Kathleen Forni Marina Gerzić Forni, Kathleen, Beowulf's Popular Afterlife in Literature, Comic Books, and Film ( Routledge Studies in Medieval Literature and Culture, 9), Abingdon and New York, Routledge, 2018; hardback; pp. ix, 207; 9 b/w illustrations; R.R.P. US $140.00, £115.00; ISBN 9781138609839. Why do we keep retelling a story of precarious provenance, written in alliterative Old English verse, and taken from a single surviving manuscript dating back over a thousand years? Kathleen Forni's book Beowulf's Popular Afterlife in Literature, Comic Books, and Film examines the resonance of the Old English epic poem Beowulf, which continues to be retold and appropriated in many adaptations, and offers a detailed analysis of the afterlife of Beowulf in various media targeting very different audiences. Beowulf's Popular Afterlife is organized into eight sections: two introductory chapters begin the book, which is then split into two categories, examining various retellings and appropriations of Beowulf. In the general introduction, Forni defines retellings and adaptations in terms of fidelity to the text. Retellings of Beowulf 'describe adaptations that make use of the plot and characters of the poem, and are set in a distant past' (p. 9). Appropriations of Beowulf are those adaptations that 'are set in the present—or even the future—and incorporate aspects of the myths into new narratives' (p. 9), with Forni later clarifying her definition to add somewhat dismissively that appropriations are 'set in the present and are less concerned with rewriting or interpreting'(p. 144). A chapter that examines the topic of monsters in Beowulf follows this introduction. In it Forni offers an overview of the function of the various monsters in the text as a way to gain insight into why Beowulf is part of the canon and still remains popular in the twenty-first century. Forni suggests Grendel's 'indeterminacy is […] frightening' since 'the instinctive reaction when we are unable to define, categorize, and control is fear' (p. 19), and examines how some scholars view Grendel's mother as a 'challenge to male dominance' (p. 25). Forni concludes that popular adaptations of Beowulf 'both update and undermine' a 'nostalgic and authoritarian vision of social order' (p. 33). The chapter is a useful overview of monster studies and of monsters in Beowulf, but would have been more effective if incorporated into an extended introduction. Forni categorizes chapters 'according to audience and medium' (p. 40); thus, each of the rest of the book's chapters focuses on a specific medium of adaptation. Chapters on the retellings in adult fiction, children's literature, comics, film, and television adaptations are followed by a single 'catch-all' chapter on appropriations that do not easily fall into the before-mentioned categories. I found the book's structure slightly problematic. I understand that Forni wishes to differentiate [End Page 246] between retellings and appropriations; however, the unhelpful focus on fidelity when defining both these terms, and the connection of fidelity with the past (Forni defines retellings as set in the past, and appropriations are set in the present/future), reinforces an exclusionary canon, and prevents more overt and interesting comparisons between the two forms of adaptations. Rather than being appended and condensed into their own chapter just before the book's conclusion, a more useful analysis could have occurred if appropriations were afforded extended analysis and valuable page space alongside the many retellings that have been included. Likewise, the short chapter introducing the lengthy surveys of retellings in various media could have been part of an extended introduction, which could have also expounded on appropriations—its position after the chapter on monsters in Beowulf was a confusing choice. Despite this, Forni's book offers a detailed survey and analysis of the many ways in which Beowulf is adapted largely in retellings, and also reworked in appropriations, and demonstrates its legacy to popular culture, and why its story of monsters, violence, and heroism remains relevant to modern readers and audiences. Forni's writing is clear and accessible, and provides a good entry into Beowulf and its afterlife in popular culture. This book will be of interest...