ABSTRACT
An examination of the meaning of the monsters in Beowulf itself can help gauge the extent to which their function—and the meaning of the Anglo-Saxon poem—has changed as it is adapted to contemporary interests. The role of Beowulf’s monsters might also give us some insight into why the poem has been canonized and remains a curricular staple in educational institutions. From the perspective of cultural studies, notwithstanding its aesthetic value, the text is institutionalized and taught largely because it is ideologically useful in maintaining the interests of the privileged. Its reproduction in popular culture, therefore, would represent an effort to render the poem pleasurable and relevant to audiences beyond those with a professional or pedagogical investment in the text. And part of the relevance and pleasure can take the form of resistance or pushback to any oppressive ideologies perceived to be perpetuated by the poem.
