Research On The Relationship Of The Heroic Epic Beowulf And British Culture And Tradition

The heroic epic Beowulf occupies a significant place in the history of British literature,because it is not only a masterpiece of Old English literature, but also one of the best Nordicheroic epics. The article focuses on the research of Beowulf, including the formation of thepoem, the author’s inclination, the social background and the historical culture of this epic.Based on these parts, the article does research on the development of early British tradition,the typical and specific British culture patterns, and the significance and impact of thistradition.The research on Beowulf helps us analyse and discover the historical background andthe formation and development of early British culture and tradition from a special point ofview. In the poem,the Nordic heroic epic tradition and the poet’s Christian faith coexist toform the core factor. And the proper treatment of these two sides is critical to understandingand analysing the poem. The coexistence, conflict and combination of these two maintraditions of the Anglo-Saxon period, are also reflected in the epic, which indicates the factthat literature is involved in the conflict and combination and makes positive contribution tothe combination these two traditions. Therefore, it is more effective and practical to study theroot and independent impact of culture, than to simply emphasize the innovation of culture, inthe period of cultural development and prosperity.The article is consisted of six parts. Part one is the introduction indicating the possibilityand necessity of viewing the history from the perspective of poetry, with the help of the epicdual nature of literary feature and historical feature.The first chapter sorts out the relevantresearch overviews and methodology on Beowulf. The part is mainly about the topic basis,the main content of Beowulf, the research summary of the epic, and the research approachand design of the article.The second chapter discusses the issue of barbaric Nordic cultureand tradition in the epic, including the cultural influence of the barbaric Nordic invasion ofBritain, the embodiment of barbaric Nordic culture in the epic, the basic situation of thetransition from the tribe to the kingdom reflected in Beowulf. The third chapter is mainlyabout the issue of culture and tradition of Christianity in Beowulf. The part involves the Christian spreading and development in early Britain, the presence of the culture feature ofChristianity in the poem, and the relationship between the culture feature of Christianity inBeowulf and British Christianity culture.The fourth chapter probes into the relation ofBeowulf and British internal need for native culture, including the British history and cultureduring the creation of Beowulf, the coexistence and combination of Nordic culture andChristianity culture, and the internal need for British native culture and tradition according tothe heroic epic Beowulf.The fifth chapter investigates the relationship of Beowulf and thevalue core of British national spirit. The part covers four aspects, which are the discussion ofthe hero concept based on humanism, the discussion of the kingship concept based on politics,the discussion of the destiny concept based on national mentality, and the discussion of thewomen concept based on social lifestyle. The final part is conclusion, summarizing therelationship and influence of the heroic epic Beowulf to the early British history and culture.