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Title	:	Grendel
Author	:	John Gardner
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Special Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 174 pages
Published	:	June 2nd 2010 by Random House Vintage Books (first published August 12th 1971)
Categories	:	Fiction. Fantasy. Classics. Academic. School. Literature. Mythology

Grendel

John Gardner

Paperback | Pages: 174 pages

Rating: 3.69 | 31290 Users | 1950 Reviews

Chronicle Toward Books Grendel

this review may or may not contain spoilers. i assume that most bookish people are familiar with the basic plot elements of beowulf, either through high school required reading or that video-game-looking movie, or cocktails at the heaney's. if not - this could ruin everything! but it won't. ah, existentialism... when i was a young lass with my fontanelle as yet unfused; when i still liked the doors and books about manson, i dabbled briefly and emotionally in existentialism. "l'enfer c'est les autres"...it just sounds so good, doesn't it? and not just because it is french and therefore inherently sexified.but it sounds so romantically world-weary and byronesque. and when you work retail, the surface of that statement rings true every single day. but at its core, it is of course infantile and selfish. and this book was where i first realized this.what i love about this book, beyond just the gorgeous simplicity of gardner's prose (and, for some reason, the font) are its hidden depths. it isn't just a retelling, it isn't an apology or explanation - it does smooth out the rough warrior edges of beowulf (the work, not the character) and gives great powers of articulation to grendel with his almost genteel existential worldview, but there are subterranean caverns of philosophy tucked away in here. and i am not someone who digs on philosophy, but i do love the way it is explored here. there was some interview with gardner - must have been in the seventies, and someone was asking him about this book and "what it meeeeeeans", and gardner just sighed and said "there are twelve chapters. there are twelve zodiac signs. you figure it out". which is douchey, yes, but it makes me laugh. and, yes, of course there are the zodiac elements, and the nihilism of the dragon and so many other things happening in this tiny little book. but what stays with me, besides grendel's whole "i alone exist, i create the universe blink by blink" speech, is of course poor existential grendel losing his comfortable childish worldview and "growing up" as he is beaten with his own arm (why are you hitting yourself??) and being shouted at. "sing of walls, bitches!!" there are of course other stages of development at work here, but the one that affected me most powerfully at 17 was this renunciation of existentialism. i think it marked my entrance into womanhood, and it had nothing to do with menarche or penetration or tax forms. for me, the adult world became mine when i set aside childish things unexpectedly (and incompletely) in the wake of a monster's arm. grendel's had an accident. so may you all. come to my blog!

Present Books In Favor Of Grendel

Original Title:	Grendel
ISBN:	0679723110 (ISBN13: 9780679723110)
Edition Language:	English
Characters:	Beowulf, Grendel
Literary Awards:	Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee (1972)

Rating Containing Books Grendel

Ratings: 3.69 From 31290 Users | 1950 Reviews

Column Containing Books Grendel

this review may or may not contain spoilers. i assume that most bookish people are familiar with the basic plot elements of beowulf, either through high school required reading or that video-game-looking movie, or cocktails at the heaney's. if not - this could ruin everything! but it won't. ah, existentialism... when i was a young lass with my fontanelle as yet unfused; when i still liked the doors and books about manson, i dabbled briefly and emotionally in existentialism. "l'enfer c'est les



History could very well be interpreted as a stream of stories penned by victors. There have been battles,coups and epoch changing events and almost all of which have been stories told by those left alive or those left on the winning pedestals. Did anyone tell us much about Ravana's thoughts as his entire kingdom was ground to dust by a man and his army of simians ? What of Ernst Blofeld whose plans were doused in hot water by a dapper Brit ? I could go on but the point I want to convey is that

This smallish book, published in 1972, is an interesting exercise in examining a well-known story from an unexpected viewpoint in this case it's Beowulf retold by the monster Grendel. It could have been a bit naff, like one of those awful reinventions that certain novelists seem to knock off every couple of months, like Hamlet narrated by Ophelia. And actually I didn't really like it at first, for exactly the reason that it seemed a bit gimmicky. But by the end (and it's not a long book), it

This book was one of great self discovery. John Gardner takes us through the highs and lows of a beings life that has been forsaken by society. Taking philosophical ideas as a guideline, Grendel struggles with the thought of existence and meaning in his life. With two different kinds of influences pulling at him from both directions, Grendel must find the side where he belongs the most. I think the book could relate to peoples own struggles with meaning and that even though the book was written

We know Grendels ending, but what of his beginning? Who cares, life is meaningless. Grendel follows the nihilistic ramblings of the self-proclaimed monster, and it turns out hes a sad boy with an attitude. The existential philosophies are compelling in the context of the novel, but Ive seen humans far more vile and far less intelligent than Grendel. It would be interesting to explore his mind further. I want either more philosophy or more story from Grendel. Im left with the feeling that

Grendel, the famous monster from Beowulf, tells his side of the story here. Philosophies clash, along with monsters and men. This story of Grendel, told from his point of view, is an unusual amalgamation of Grendel's stream-of-consciousness thought (which becomes more clear and organized as Grendel grows and develops) about his loneliness and self-centeredness, his attempts to make sense of the world, and his cruelty and hatred toward men, while being drawn to them at the same time. Grendel