On Artistic Characteristics Of Beowulf

Beowulf, written by old English, is a long narrative epic. It plays an important role in the history of British literature. It reveals the living state of the Nodic people in the ending period of clan society. Through describing the hero,Beowulf’s three great deeds of fighting against different demons and monsters, the poem sculptures the image of a clannish hero and demigod who possesses perfect morals, which reflects the ethical values of Anglo-Saxons’ as well as their great ideals and pursuits. The poem gradually reveals the fatalistic theme of death through the repetition of motifs, the construction of plots and the changes of narrative space.Motif is one of the basic narrative elements. There are several motifs throughout the epic, and the tone of the epic is set with every repetition and change of the motifs which also helps lead the poem to its narrative theme. Motifs in Beowulf not only constitute the content of the poem, but function greatly in setting the background of the narration, pushing the narrative progression and uncovering the death theme of the poem. Contrasts are used and they help find the balance of the epic despite the disproportionate narration. And its plot is built on the basis of the idea that the theme is more important than the plot.Beowulf also demonstrates its unique charm in it’s way of handling narrative time and space.This epic breaks the traditional linear order of time and adds episodes which happened in different time and space into the main story, which forms a strong contrast between present and past. The poets also make full use of flashback, cut-in and other narrative methods to further disorder the original narrative time. This adds variations in time and space to the simple plot, enriches the narrative methods,increases its artistic effect, deepens the theme of the poem and greatly exhibits the superb narrative techniques and novel plot-building skills. The narrative art and plot-building skills of the poem have a far-reaching influence on many narrative works in the later ages.This paper analyzes the changes of time and space in the epic, and their narrative function from the perspectives of narratology, and compares them with a Chinese epic through parallel contrast. From the similarities and differences in the structure, narrative and linguistic features of Chinese and western epics, this paper tries to explore the features in national characteristics, folk culture and aesthetic psychology in China and Britain. This is good for drawing conclusions on the artistic rules of epics, and the culture and art features of different nations. In the context of differences between Chinese and western art, as well as the communication between different national epics, the artistic value and charm is greatly and further exhibited.