Beowulf Revisited

Heaney's translation of Beowulf added a greater coherence and fluidity to the work that I felt was missing from my original attempt at the original version. The starkly religious tones still shone through, though this time seemed to be resulting from the fantastical exploits described, rather than the purpose of the text itself being philosophical. Although the translation did little in changing my original opinion towards the text's merit and relevance, it certainly made for an easier read. 

Revisiting Naked Lunch

Re-reading Naked Lunch has certainly been a rewarding experience. Now with a far greater knowledge of what to expect from the work, I feel as if I was able to appreciate Burroughs' style far more and to appreciate certain themes and motifs that I would have otherwise missed. Two strains from the work particularly stood out for me. Firstly, Burroughs' treatment of women throughout, which quite frankly is incredibly disturbing. There are several examples of women being beaten up, killed and maltreated throughout the work, the extent of which seems to have escaped me upon the first reading. The reasoning for this being the case, I felt, could be best explained from the section of the novel when 'a horde of lust-mad American women rush in', screaming 'f*** me! f*** me!'. This seemed to suggest Burroughs experiencing the pressure from American society to find himself a wife and to be attracted to women (he was gay), meaning that the violent, negative depiction reflects upon societal norms more than the female gender. I also grasped the sense of Burroughs questioning the very fundamentals language as a tool throughout the work, why some words have such an effect upon us, whilst the overall atmosphere of there being a necessity to question appeared more strongly than upon the first read.

To end, I would certainly recommend revisiting Naked Lunch as a work. I feel as if my first reading was rather overshadowed by my initial aversion and shock to the content that I was not anticipating, meaning that my overall conclusion was rather clouded. Now, however, I feel I can finally appreciate its literary value.