C. McCarthy, Seamus Heaney and Medieval Poetry

Conor McCarthy,  Seamus Heaney and Medieval Poetry, Cambridge, D.S.Brewer (Boydell and Brewer Ltd), février 2008, 208p.

Isbn (ean13): 978-1843841418

Recension par  David W. Marshall (California State University, San Bernardino) dans The Medieval Review, TMR 08.10.01:

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/t/tmr/

Présentation de l'éditeur:

Seamus Heaney's engagement with medieval literature constitutes a significant body of work by a major poet that extends across four decades, including a landmark translation of Beowulf. This book, the first to look exclusively at this engagement, examines both Heaney's direct translations and his adaptation of medieval material in his original poems. Each of the four chapters focuses substantially on a single major text: Sweeney Astray (1983), Station Island (1984), Beowulf (1999) and The Testament of Cresseid (2004). The discussion examines Heaney's translation practice in relation to source texts from a variety of languages (Irish, Italian, Old English, and Middle Scots) from across the medieval period, and also in relation to Heaney's own broader body of work. It suggests that Heaney's translations and adaptations give a contemporary voice to medieval texts, bringing the past to bear upon contemporary concerns both personal and political.

Introduction
1 Sweeney Astray
2 Station Island
3 Beowulf
4 The Testament of Cresseid
5 Conclusion