Schools Add New Titles to Classic English Literature Curriculum

Oct. 2, 2008 - PRLog -- Nashville, TN
High schools and colleges are now bringing a new perspective to classic ancient tales like Beowulf.  With the arrival of new works told from an alternate point of view, students are now viewing the classics from a fresh angle.

Beowulf is a good example of where there are new perspectives on ancient classics. The original text was written in approximately 1,000 A.D. With the publication of John Gardner's Grendel in 1971, readers saw the original classic from the alternate view of the monster, Grendel. Now with the addition of Ashley Crownover's, Wealtheow: Her Telling of Beowulf, readers gain a female point of view on what was the quintessential hero story told from a male perspective.

Jack Schultz of the Northwest Area School District in Pennsylvania has included Wealtheow in his high school literature course because: "I had already included Beowulf: A New Telling by Robert Nye, so now, I use [Wealtheow] as well to provide information on the background and culture of women of the times."  The book also provides a backstory for the origin of the monster Grendel which was omitted from previous works.

The inclusion of alternate tellings provide a more balanced view of the classic, allowing student to weight a variety of perspectives and to enhance the depth of their understanding that the world can be viewed from various points of view.

Other academic praise for Wealtheow includes Matthew Gabriele of Virgina Tech University, Assistant Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, who said, "Crownover certainly is a good storyteller. The narrative flows along at a quick pace and the characters are well-drawn." Richard Nokes, Troy University's Professor of Medieval Literature adds, "with the exception of John Gardner's Grendel, I now have anew favorite re-telling of the Beowulf story. Ashley Crownover's Wealtheow: Her Telling of Beowulf avoids the pitfalls of the women's retelling subgenre, and enriches the Beowulf mythos in ways writers have failed to do since Gardner."

For more information on how to add Wealtheow: Her Telling of Beowulf (ISBN 9781596523913) to your curriculum, contact Turner Publishing at (615) 255-2665 or visit their website at turnerpublishing.com.

Contact Information:
Rachel Joiner
Marketing Manager
Turner Publishing Company
Phone:  (615) 255-2665
Email: rjoiner@turnerpublishing.com

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Turner Publishing is an independent, award-winning publisher based in Nashville, Tennessee. Turner produces a range of fine books in fiction and nonfiction categories, including its acclaimed Historic Photos series.