University puts trigger warning on classic texts including Beowulf for ‘violence, blood and monsters’

Another university has put trigger warnings on its English literature course, warning students of distressing themes in classic text Beowulf.

The University of Aberdeen has put more than 30 warnings on one literature module called ‘Lost Gods and Hidden Monsters of the Celtic and Germanic Middle Ages’.

The reading on the course are drawn from Gaelic and Norse-Icelandic sagas, poetry and mythography and explores a “wide range of uncanny or supernatural beings,” according to the module description.

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A general warning for the whole module states: “Texts studied on this course contain representations of violence, coercion, animal cruelty or animal death, incest suicide, explicit sexual content [and] ableism.”

The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is veiled with even more trigger warnings about the poem’s violent themes, and the university even warns students that they will read about monsters.

A cautionary note about the 3000-line poem says there will be “particularly graphic representations of violence” in Beowulf, as well as “blasphemy, defecation, psychological violence, pain, alcohol abuse, symbols of evil, black magic, death, blood and eating disorders”.

Beowulf is a story of a Scandinavian hero who defeats a monster, Grendel, who is decribed in the text as “unhælu” which also means infirm.

But it has been argued by some scholars that this is ableism.

For at least five years, UK universities have been increasingly introducing “trigger warnings” to give students notice of any potentially “upsetting” material in lectures, echoing a trend in US colleges to try to protect young people’s mental health.

The University of Aberdeen’s policy, as reported by The Telegraph states: “It is important that the education we provide exposes students to contentious and challenging material, and that we espouse the right of individuals to speak freely within legal boundaries.

“At the same time, the mental health and well-being of students is a primary concern of the school.

“In the spirit of inclusivity, it is therefore the duty of all teaching staff to ensure that students are aware of course content before they are exposed to it, so that they are prepared for anything they may find distressing.”