There’s an excellent Oxford podcast on Beowulf in the University’s Great Writers Inspire series. By Prof. Francis Leneghan of the English Faculty.
This talk is a little over twelve minutes long and focuses on the transition from oral literature retold by the scops, tellers and shapers of tales, to the manuscript that remains. It’s informative and a treat to hear Prof. Leneghan recite Old English fluidly, as though he speaks it at the dinner table every day.
If you’re an instructor, the video and audio files are available via Creative Commons Attribution license. I would encourage everyone to visit the Great Writers Inspire site and explore the whole collection for a rare opportunity to learn from the best.
