This review of the critical reception of Old English literature from 1900 to the present moves beyond a focus on individual literary texts so as to survey the different schools, methods, and assumptions that have shaped the discipline. It examines notable works and authors from the period, including Beowulf, the Venerable Bede, heroic poems, and devotional literature. Reinforced with excerpts from ten critical studies, it addresses questions of medieval literacy, textuality, and orality, as well as style, gender, genre, and theme. Embracing the interdisciplinary nature of the field, this guide references historical studies, religious studies, anthropology, art history, and more.