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Honour, exchange and violence in Beowulf /
"This book examines violence in its social setting, and especially as an essential element in the heroic system of exchange (sometimes called the Economy of Honour). It situates Beowulf in a northern European culture where violence was not stigmatized as evidence of a breakdown in social order...
| Clasificación: | Libro Electrónico |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | Electrónico eBook |
| Idioma: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Woodbridge, U.K. :
D.S. Brewer, an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd.,
2013.
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| Colección: | Anglo-Saxon studies ;
20. |
| Temas: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Texto completo |
| Sumario: | "This book examines violence in its social setting, and especially as an essential element in the heroic system of exchange (sometimes called the Economy of Honour). It situates Beowulf in a northern European culture where violence was not stigmatized as evidence of a breakdown in social order but rather was seen as a reasonable way to get things done; where kings and their retainers saw themselves above all as warriors whose chief occupation was the pursuit of honour; and where most successful kings were those perceived as most predatory. Though kings and their subjects yearned for peace, the political and religious institutions of the time did little to restrain their violent impulses. Drawing on works from Britain, Scandinavia, and Ireland, which show how the practice of violence was governed by rules and customs which were observed, with variations, over a wide area, this book makes use of historicist and anthropological approaches to its subject. It takes a neutral attitude towards the phenomena it examines, but at the same time describes them fortnightly, avoiding euphemism and excuse-making on the one hand and condemnation on the other. In this book, it attempts to avoid the errors of critics who have sometimes been led astray by modern assumptions about the morality of violence." |
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| Descripción Física: | 1 online resource (x, 279 pages) |
| Bibliografía: | Includes bibliographical references and indexes. |
| ISBN: | 9781782040798 178204079X 9781299199965 1299199968 9781782040835 1782040838 |