Many consider Beowulf difficult to read, difficult to teach, and therefore, hard to enjoy. Others claim it is too simple, too direct, or too pagan (or too Christian!). Yet, despite such detractions, Beowulf will not go away. In this takl, Brian Philips takes another look at Beowulf and the surprising harmony, richness, and importance of the poem which, as Tolkein said, made “keen that touch upon the heart which sorrows have that are both poignant and remote.”