Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Beowulf is a classic hero, and these next two months we will be exploring the classic tale of his in graphic form! Many of us had to read all or part of the epic in school at some point. The graphic novel version is a new way to experience the old story, and hopefully everyone here who joins our discussion enjoys the adaptation.

The official description from GR: This exhilarating graphic novel edition of an ancient classic honors the spirit of the original as it attracts modern readers.

The epic tale of the great warrior Beowulf has thrilled readers through the ages—and now it is reinvented for a new generation with Gareth Hinds’s masterful illustrations. Grendel’s black blood runs thick as Beowulf defeats the monster and his hideous mother, while somber hues overcast the hero’s final, fatal battle against a raging dragon. Speeches filled with courage and sadness, lightning-paced contests of muscle and will, and funeral boats burning on the fjords are all rendered in glorious and gruesome detail. Told for more than a thousand years, Beowulf’s heroic saga finds a true home in this graphic novel edition.

I finally found a copy, so I will be participating. This is a tale that should lend itself well to a graphic novel.

My first impressions (without having really gotten into the meat of the story yet) is that the art is exceptional and well-fit to the tone of the story.

Read many times in the past few years. Read over 10 times altogether. You will enjoy it.

I read the actual epic during my second year of college. I’m curious how well done this particular graphic adaptation is. I’ll be bringing jr home soon to read myself.

Angie I wondered that myself. How well the illustrations/art work are to help draw Comic readers to the Graphic Novels.

I finished Gareth Hinds’ graphic adaptation of the Beowulf epic poem yesterday, but before I commented here I wanted to also take a look the graphic adaptation by Neil Gaiman.

Canavan, once you’ve checked out Gaiman’s version, please compare the two here. That’ll be interesting to hear how they differ.

Samantha asked: Canavan, once you’ve checked out Gaiman’s version, please compare the two here. That’ll be interesting to hear how they differ.

I will happily do so, Samantha.

I just finished Garth Hinds' beautifully illustrated Beowulf. Unlike others who have commented, I have not read any part of Beowulf before. I could have used a bit more of the written story, but that said, I quite enjoyed the story. The battle scenes had so much to look at.

I've finished the book, and I do agree that the illustrations are beautiful. Breathtakingly so. I thought the art set the tone for the story quite well.

My one quibble is that wished the written sections had been stronger and more poetic. And perhaps there had been more prose. I felt like it relied a bit too much on just the art. I've been reading graphic novels for years, and a good balance of the two usually seems to work best.

Anyway, it was a pretty good read. I'll probably check out more of Hinds' work.

Kathy, with no having read the epic prior to this, do you feel like the graphic adaptation have you the full story? I’d like to hear your thoughts on this.

Angie, I haven’t read the book yet, but it’s in my locker at work ready for me. I flipped through it and did notice how some parts seem to have illustrations with very few words at all. How well do you think the overall story was portrayed?

Samantha wrote: "Kathy, with no having read the epic prior to this, do you feel like the graphic adaptation have you the full story? I’d like to hear your thoughts on this."

Samantha, I feel like I have the outline of the full story - basic plot, setting and characters. That's assuming there's more to the story than the battles, which were illustrated very well. I do think Hinds could have added more words from the story into his adaptation.

First impression: I appreciate how the book notes before the story begins that the author and editors have made it a “colloquial” translation. I flipped through and think the mostly monochromatic illustrations are an interesting choice. I wonder why the coloring was done like that. Perhaps it is to make the images not too distracting from the written parts. Any other ideas?

Samantha wrote: "Angie, I haven’t read the book yet, but it’s in my locker at work ready for me. I flipped through it and did notice how some parts seem to have illustrations with very few words at all. How well do..."

It got the broad strokes of the story, but I feel like Hinds' relied too much on artwork. The battles work well as graphic scenes. Still, I feel like the text portions were largely summary and didn't capture the epic feel of the story.

I understand your thinking, Angie. I actually just finished the book and was surprised at how little text was supplied for a graphic telling of an epic. The illustrations do go a long way in providing story, but maybe that is a fine line.

After reading the graphic adaptation, I noticed the primary color of illustrations changes with different scenes, settings, moods, and books. While maybe overusing illustrations to tell the story, Hinds does a wonderful job with colors. He clearly put a lot of thought into the art of this book.

I couldn't get this particular book and wanted to join in for the contest, so i read
Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney
and to give it more of a graphic novel feel I also listened to the audiobook, read by Seamus Heaney!

This is a book I've read many times, and was an extra in the telly show. 5 stars to Seamus Heaney's interpretation and beautiful language.

That sounds like a good translation to read, Jazzy and I'd like to hear Seamus Heaney read!

Throughout the graphic novel version by Hinds, I kept wondering if it was boring to make all those detailed illustrations. I guess I'm not an artist!

Kathy wrote: "That sounds like a good translation to read, Jazzy and I'd like to hear Seamus Heaney read!

Throughout the graphic novel version by Hinds, I kept wondering if it was boring to make all those detai..."

here you go, star! enjoy
part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaB0t...
part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsxxg...

Thank you for the links, Jazzy!

The Seamus Heaney translation is a terrific read!

I'm listening right now!

Yes Rosemarie, It is abridged but very beautiful!

Mmmm sounds delightful Kathy!

It’s great to see people getting pulled into the original epic because of our graphic reading. Thanks for sharing that edition, Jazzy.

I'll be listening to Seamus Heaney's translation in a few days time. Wasn't planning to read this, but saw that this goes into Feb too. :)

This was my first graphic novel and I like the idea of using it in conjunction with the original source someday. It definitely was helpful to visualize aspects of the story although given how gory some of the scenes are (these are battles after all) I did find myself not looking too close to certain pictures as that is not something that I enjoy seeing. I would definitely check out aome of Hinds' other works, particularly Shakespeare.

I’m glad you enjoyed checking out this graphic with us, Marie. I feel Hinds did a fine job with portraying the scenes. Honestly, I expected a bit more words, but the gist of the story is conveyed well between the words and the illustrations. Please feel free to check out more graphic novels with us this year, as we have a contest going on!

More info here:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Anyone who has participated in discussions or only read the graphic novels of the group so far this year, don't forget to go here and give us the number of total slips you should have in the graphic novel contest! Drawing is to be held sometime at the start of this month to give plenty of time for the prize to be delivered to the winner.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...