Shaping Proper Citizens of the British Empire: H. E. Marshall's Translation of Beowulf for Children

FAIN: HB-50182-12

Janice Hawes
South Carolina State University (Orangeburg, SC 29115-4427)

This project places the work of Victorian and Edwardian women scholars of Old English, particularly those interested in the Old English epic Beowulf, within the context of imperialistic discourse, a project that will culminate in an in-depth study of H. E. Marshall’s translation of Beowulf for children. The major goal of this study is to determine how a female scholar such as Marshall, known for authoring several popular history books and literary retellings aimed at children, employed Beowulf to teach her young British audience how to be proper citizens of the British Empire. Via a critical post-colonial lens, the study considers how Marshall’s Edwardian-era translation of the medieval epic was meant in part to support the imperialist cause. In addition, the project explores how Marshall’s use of her scholarship to author works for young children was a result of the limits placed on female scholars by academic circles in Victorian and Edwardian Britain.