Grendel
by John Gardner
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Book Summary Information
Author: John GardnerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1989-05-14
ISBN: 0679723110
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of Grendel
Book Review: Existentialism in Grendel
Summary: 4 Stars
The tale of Grendel is much more than just a story about a monster. Through Grendel's interactions with the humans, the wise dragon, and his mother, Grendel's understanding of the meaning of life and his role in the world bring up universal, philosophical questions. Grendel's intelligence as well is outstanding, often being more reasonable than the humans themselves. He comes to understand all of the euphoric states of emotion and what drives those emotions, and learns to reason with himself and people. Grendel is a growing character, learning about knowledge and then trying to gain it, as when he visits the dragon. He watches and observes the humans, giving us, the reader, an understanding of the human's progress from an outside perspective. Often, Grendel observes destructive and inhumane patterns in the humans' interactions, and puzzles at their irrational behavior.
A main theme in the novel is how destructive and inadequate warfare is at solving conflicts. Thought Grendel himself succumbs to violence, it is in reason with what Grendel believes to be a healthy pattern for the humans. The dragon tells him that the humans need Grendel to unify them in detest for him. It gives them purpose, although the dragon also says that everything in the end is meaningless and therefore purposeless. So in a sense Grendel contradicts himself, criticizing the humans' violent behavior against themselves, when Grendel himself acts in violence for no better reason, simply a more deconstructed one.
Summary of Grendel
The first and most terrifying monster in English literature, from the great early epic BEOWULF, tells his side of the story.Grendel is a beautiful and heartbreaking modern retelling of the Beowulf epic from the point of view of the monster, Grendel, the villain of the 8th-century Anglo-Saxon epic. This book benefits from both of Gardner's careers: in addition to his work as a novelist, Gardner was a noted professor of medieval literature and a scholar of ancient languages.
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