I remember reading Beowolf in college. I waited until the night before the test to read it, because I figured how long could a poem be? It took me until 4 in the morning, but I passed the test...
Good thing you didn’t try that with “The Iliad”.
College... y’know, I’d picked up a paperback of Beowulf in my early teens (being very interested in Tolkien, sword and sorcery books, Eddison, etc) and have never read it. I think I spent a weekend with Grendel’s mother though...