Beowulf, only not

[firiel44]

Please tell me this is a joke. It's too hideous to be serious. I... just... I'm dumber for having read that, and my brain is all hurty. But now at least we know that long, complex novels are actually true, because no-one could actually make up that many names. With this woman's mad research skillz, I guess we'll soon be getting a final,

Comments

[alto2]

Oh, for the love of all that's holy. Sweet mother of god. I just...don't have the words.

Many literature books say that it is fiction, one of the earliest examples we have of an English novel. But if someone were writing fiction, he would not name so many real people; he would invent characters as novelists do.

Right, because literary convention was SO well-established back then. I guess that every epic poem ever written must be the absolute unvarnished truth, then, as well? And hey, as you say, every Dickens novel was actually fabulously-written journalism, I guess. Bet he'd be surprised to hear it.

How the heck did you find this godawful thing, and would you be horribly upset if I spread the bad word about it in my journal? Anything that shows the insanity of the creationist/fundamentalist/evolution-is-evil crowd should be seen by as many people as possible, IMHO.

[firiel44]

It was on Neil Gaiman's blog. Apparently his mind is great enough to deflect such things without sustaining any notable damage. I, however, am still trying not to think about it, and am considering blaming it for the sore throat I woke up with this morning.

You know, if it was just the messing with the story for creation/evolution purposes, I might have been able to blow it off. I'm rather used to people stretching things to prove religious points. But they had to change the entire thing for no visible purpose other than ruining a great work. Those poor monks that worked so hard to Christianize it in the first place would be so disappointed. I also could not find anything on the site on how they select or accept articles. If it was wiki-style I might understand (and find who to email a complaint to) but apparently their methods of finding Teh Crazy are top-secret.

[alto2]

It was on Neil Gaiman's blog.

Ahh, yes, there it is. I hadn't had a chance to read the most recent entry until just now. Jeez.

I must confess that I've only ever read excerpts of Beowulf, and that a very long time ago, but I do have a copy of the Heaney translation (and an old Anglo-Saxon-only library copy I bought at a used bookstore once, not that I can read it!) and have every intention of reading it. But lordy, the whole creationism thing is just beyond the pale, for me at least. People are insane.

(Nice icon, by the way ;) )

[padawanpooh]

GAH!! Isn't it terrifying that this sort of stuff is becoming mainstream?

Mind you if mythical Beowulf is true does that mean yummy Ares was too?

*goes to www.badastronomer.com and www.skepticality.com to wash brain out*

[firiel44]

Ooh, that means Faramir is real too! Talk about a complex story with lots of characters. I think we could even get Sherlock Holmes into reality-land. :)

FWIW, all my nieces and nephews are home-schooled, and they are growing into normal, well-adjusted people capable of carrying on normal conversations and not paranoid that everything is an anti-religious conspiracy. Probably because Bro and Sis are actually sane.