What was the name of J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1936 lecture that changed modern views of Beowulf?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1936 lecture was titled “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.” It was delivered as the Sir Israel Gollancz Memorial Lecture at the British Academy and published in 1937.

Before Tolkien’s lecture, many scholars treated Beowulf mainly as evidence about Germanic history, language, or archaeology. Tolkien argued that the poem should also be judged as a work of art. He emphasized the structural importance of its monsters, especially Grendel and the dragon, rather than dismissing them as distractions from historical material.

The lecture became one of the most influential modern essays on Beowulf. Tolkien’s argument helped restore attention to the poem’s imaginative design and tragic themes. It is separate from his earlier academic publication on Beowulf, which was an edition and commentary on the text rather than this celebrated lecture.