One of the main things I've noticed about this telling of the story is how full of detail it is - the setting is given so much attention without being boring, and that's something I want to imitate in my own writing.
I'm also growing more attached to the idea of rewriting a chunk of the story with elementary school kids. For example, the scene with Beowulf and his men setting up their beds in Heorot could be kindergarteners about to take a nap. It could be really fun to do it from a limited third-person perspective, where a kid is just really tired, but he thinks he's being put under a spell. I have to figure out who Grendel would be in that situation. A teacher? A bully? Who lurks during naptime?
If I just do the "Grendel attacks" portion, that's all I have to figure out logistically. I'm leaning away from anything later than that, just because I don't want to mess with finding something to be the kindergarten equivalrent of losing your arm in a fight. At the same time, if I can come up with something, the playground would be an easier place for a fight scene...
I'm still kind of tempted to do something with Unferth, though. He has an actual character arc and his story would work well with diary entries, one from each time he appears in the narrative. That's similar to stuff I've done before, but it could still go in my portfolio, probably better than anything else I've done recently. The elementary concept isn't something I would necessarily put in my portfolio, but you never know. I'm trying to have a diverse set of storytelling subjects and styles to make sure I'm really taking advantage of the portfolio format. Elementary has a lead in that respect over Unferth diary, because I've already done first person and I feel like I have more ways to creatively distinguish with third. I definitely have a lot of thinking to do.
Image: Grendel. Source.
Bibliography: The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933). Source.
Image: Grendel. Source.
Bibliography: The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933). Source.
Hi, Taylor!
ReplyDeleteI also read and wrote about Beowulf during our British Unit, but never considered the idea of replaying the epic with kindergarten characters. I think that idea is so creative, and is something I would love to read! I work with students, and am terrified of the very thought of the kindergarten equivalent of losing and arm, but would definitely be interesting in learning how you imagined that battle taking place. Thanks for such a unique perspective!