This book is particularly welcome because in recent years the representations of dynasties in Beowulf have been rather neglected by scholars. Its central thesis is that the rise and fall of ancient Scandinavian royal houses is essential to the drama of the Old English poem. Professor Leneghan investigates episodes and digressions about the mutable fortunes of lineages and attempts to discern the methods and intentions of the poet, who adapted tales of dynasties to compose this unique work. This choice of subject is excellent because it follows directly from the text. That is, it is incontrovertible that most of the characters in the poem are members of royal families, and many of his arguments about dynastic drama find support in internal, textual evidence, as his generous quotations of the poem make clear. Furthermore, he avoids “imposing a hypothetical literary and cultural context onto the poem” (p. 28).
Professor Leneghan argues...
