What is the title of J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1936 lecture and essay about Old English literature?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1936 lecture and essay about Old English literature is titled Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.

Tolkien delivered the lecture as the British Academy’s Sir Israel Gollancz Memorial Lecture in 1936. It was published that year and became one of the most influential modern discussions of Beowulf. Tolkien argued that critics should treat the poem as a work of art rather than merely as a historical source or collection of folklore.

The essay defended the importance of the poem’s monsters, especially Grendel and the dragon. Tolkien maintained that these figures were central to the poem’s structure and meaning, not distractions from its supposedly more valuable historical details. His approach helped shift scholarly attention toward Beowulf’s literary design.

The essay also reflects Tolkien’s professional expertise as a professor of Anglo-Saxon. It is distinct from his later lecture “On Fairy-Stories,” which addresses fantasy more broadly. Tolkien’s engagement with Beowulf influenced both his scholarship and aspects of his imaginative writing.