In March 24, a marathon reading of Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf took place in the Hut. A marathon reading begins at a certain time and is read by many people taking turns. The marathon began at 6:30 p.m. and ran until 8:59 p.m. English professor Heather Hayton started the marathon, reading in the original Anglo-Saxon and continuing in Heaney’s translation.
“I wanted students to experience Beowulf in a format closer to how the Anglo-Saxon audience would have heard it – as a group sitting together around a fire after a long day,” said Hayton. “When the epic is read aloud, the nuances of the poem become more apparent.”
“We couldn’t recreate a mead hall on campus, but we could approximate it with a fireplace. Unfortunately, it was too warm on Thursday to have a blazing fire,” Hayton continued. “But I’m pleased that students had an opportunity to participate in the epic oral tradition with this poem.”
As war was looming in Beowulf, sophomore Nathaniel Miller reached for a potato chip bag, amongst the other refreshments: vegetables, cookies, Goldfish and Starbucks coffee. After several noisy attempts to open it, the reading paused and Miller said: “Think of it as the sounds of the battle.”
Hayton’s infamous fake, bloodied human arm accompanied the reading, playing a part in some of the gruesome battle scenes described in Beowulf.
“(Hayton) mentioned (the reading), and it sounded really cool,” said first-year Amanda Oehlert. “In high school we read the abridged version and I wanted to hear it read aloud in its entirety.
“When you’re reading it to yourself, you don’t really hear it,” Oehlert said. “You may skip over a word. When you’re reading it aloud, every single word is heard.”
Many appeared throughout the reading, including professors Doug Smith, Jeff Jeske, Carol Hoppe and Eric Mortensen.
Others also crept in while Heaney’s lines were spoken – CCE students, traditional students and children included.
“I thought the event was a great success,” said Hayton.
Though the epic was composed somewhere between the seventh and tenth centuries, Hayton’s attempt to recreate the original setting of a Beowulf reading in the modern world worked.