Beowulf
Beowulf is the oldest surviving long poem in English and the foundational work of English literature.
“So times were pleasant for the people there until finally one, a fiend out of hell, began to work his evil in the world.”
Why It Matters
Beowulf is the oldest surviving long poem in English and the foundational work of English literature. It gave English-language storytelling its first great hero, its first great monster, and its first meditation on mortality and the futility of fame. Tolkien's scholarship on the poem directly shaped The Lord of the Rings.
The 
Take
Personal reviewHeaney translation is excellent. Such a great dark evil vibe. More impressed than I thought. Quite short, did it in 1 setting. Very lofty like the classical epics but more foreboding and a distinctly Germanic/english/scandinavian vibe.
Notable Quotes
“Fate goes ever as fate must.”
“It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.”