UNIT OVERVIEW
Grendel is the monster in the eighth-century epic Beowulf. John Gardner retells the tale from the monster’s point of view. He uses the circumstances surrounding the beast and the beast’s response to them to explore the philosophies of solipsism, existentialism, and empiricism, among others. Speaking of the monster, Grendel, John Gardner says he “wanted to go through the main ideas of Western Civilization…and go through them in the voice of the monster, with the story already taken care of, with the various philosophical attitudes, and see what I could do.” Because the tale of Beowulf already had a familiar plot and established characters, Gardner was able to focus his attention on theme.
Grendel is the monster in the eighth-century epic Beowulf. John Gardner retells the tale from the monster’s point of view. He uses the circumstances surrounding the beast and the beast’s response to them to explore the philosophies of solipsism, existentialism, and empiricism, among others. Speaking of the monster, Grendel, John Gardner says he “wanted to go through the main ideas of Western Civilization…and go through them in the voice of the monster, with the story already taken care of, with the various philosophical attitudes, and see what I could do.” Because the tale of Beowulf already had a familiar plot and established characters, Gardner was able to focus his attention on theme.
OBJECTIVES
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Novel
- Grendel by John Gardner (1971)
- Grendel Grid: A chart for exploring the philosophical and astrological imagery, allusions, and symbolism in the twelve chapters of Grendel
- Astrology, an encyclopedia's description of the history, mechanics, and features of Western astrology and the zodiac system
Grendel's Narrative Structure: Theory and Astrology
In a 1973 interview, John Gardner made the following statement about the thematic agenda of his 1971 novel Grendel: “In Grendel I wanted to go through the main ideas of Western Civilization – which seemed to me to be about . . . twelve? – and go through them in the voice of the monster, with the story already taken care of, with the various philosophical attitudes, and see what I could do, see if I could break out.” Gardner goes even further to explain the organization of the novel: "It's got twelve chapters. They're all hooked up to astrological signs, for instance, and that gives you nice easy clues." Use the links below to learn about the main ideas of Western Civilization (or as Grendel calls them, "theories") and the astrological sign to which they are linked.
In a 1973 interview, John Gardner made the following statement about the thematic agenda of his 1971 novel Grendel: “In Grendel I wanted to go through the main ideas of Western Civilization – which seemed to me to be about . . . twelve? – and go through them in the voice of the monster, with the story already taken care of, with the various philosophical attitudes, and see what I could do, see if I could break out.” Gardner goes even further to explain the organization of the novel: "It's got twelve chapters. They're all hooked up to astrological signs, for instance, and that gives you nice easy clues." Use the links below to learn about the main ideas of Western Civilization (or as Grendel calls them, "theories") and the astrological sign to which they are linked.
IMAGE GALLERY
Click images to enlarge.
Click images to enlarge.
AUDIO GALLERY
An audiobook of Grendel is provided below for students interested in this supplemental resource. George Guidall's narration captures a surreal landscape that shimmers on the other side of the original epic's heroic mirror. What we see is that there's a little bit of Grendel living is each of us.
An audiobook of Grendel is provided below for students interested in this supplemental resource. George Guidall's narration captures a surreal landscape that shimmers on the other side of the original epic's heroic mirror. What we see is that there's a little bit of Grendel living is each of us.