/lit/ - Literature

Which translation?

Heaney?

Crossley-Holland?

Or Gummere?

FUCKING EPIC:

"When I set my ship
to sail on the sea and hunched in her hull
with my squadron of swords, I swore to fulfill
the will of the Scyldings or die in the deed,
fall with the slain, held fast by the foe,
my last day lived out here in your hall."

Poetry +4
Being Badass +5

I'm new to /lit/, so if I fuck up some kind of subculture thing of which I am unaware of, please don't eat me.
I'm looking for a classic; something I'm not going to fall asleep on, but is still considered to be "a classic". I've been told to read Beowulf; any other suggestions?

Hey /lit/. Only been here a few times, only 2nd time posting.

I've been wanting to get into "epic poetry" such as the Iliad, or the Aeneid. But what has really caught my attention is Beowulf. I know the story and I find it interesting, and I find the whole culture pretty interesting.

So I thought we could have a little "epic" thread? Your thoughts and comments on some of the great poems/stories of the world? Anything I need to know before diving into Beowulf?

Also, I'd love to read Milton's Paradise Lost.

Just started reading Beowulf.
Most of my questions come from the Monk who wrote it down.
He seems to almost admire these men he writes about, who pillage and murder, and force other societies to pay tribute, suggesting they go to heaven after all the sin they commit. And I also wonder what the phrasing is in the original verbal version, because in some parts he mentions "meeting their Creator," or the "Lord in all His glory," and other such ramblings about god, even going so far as to claim Grendel is descended from Cain, a biblical character. I wonder how those sections were originally phrased in the oral renderings of the story.
Also, it seems like the man who wrote it down has some sort of internal conflict going on within him. It seems like for brief periods of time, he'll forget to include anything religious, and just become engrossed in the story himself, and then he'll remember he's christian, and include the word "Lord" 15 time over the next 10 lines. Did anybody else notice this?
Also, can we get a general Beowulf discussion thread? Please include spoilers for anything post Grendel.

What is /lits thoughts on the digressions from the poem?

Can't think of a good thesis having to do with Beowulf and self-sacrifice, can /lit/ help?

/lit/,
I am certain I want to do PhD work in English, but what should I specialize in? I have taken survey courses in American and English and most of my electives have been on criticism or the Novel.

I like learning languages (German, Greek) should I just do Classics or study Anglo-Saxon and Medieval English Literature?