•  BornonJuly21,1933,JohnGardnerwasanovelist,literarycri:c,anduniversityprofessorofAncientandMedievalWorld

•  Hismother‐Englishteacherandhisfather‐laypreacher.Gardner'sparentswereknowledgeableofliteratureandcouldrecitelargesec:onsofShakespeare'sworkfrommemory.

•  WhenGardnerwasaboy,hisyoungerbrotherGilbertwastragicallykilledina

farmingaccident,aneventthatwouldinfluencetheauthorinhiswri:ng.Lifechangingevent.He’ssor:ngitoutrestofhislife

•  heavilyinfluencedbymusic,andhewasgivenSaturdaysofffromfarmworkto

listentoclassicalmusicontheradio.Addi:onally,Gardner'smotherenrolledhiminFrenchhornlessonsinRochester,NewYorkwhereheprovedtobeaverytalentedmusician.

•  beganbyteachingmedievalliteratureandcrea:vewri:ngatavarietyofcolleges,

beginningatOberlinCollegeinOhio.Gardnermovedfromoneuniversitytothenext,oUenduetohiscontroversialwaysofteachingandthinking.

AUerthepublica:onofhis1971novel,Grendelandthe1972novelTheSunlight

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PlotSummaryBackground:TheEpicBeowulfJohnGardner'sGrendelisaretellingofthefirstpartoftheAnglo‐Saxonepic,Beowulf,withanimportantdifference.InGrendel,themonstergetstotellthestory.Becausethisisaretelling,however,GardnerassumesthathisreaderisfamiliarwiththestoryofBeowulf.Indeed,withoutsuchfamiliaritythereaderwouldbelost.Accordingly,thefollowingisaverybriefsummaryoftheAnglo‐Saxonstory.Recapifyouneedit!BeowulfistheoldestlongpoeminEnglish,wriYenasearlyasperhapstheseventhcenturyA.D.,withtheonlymanuscriptversionda:ngtoaround1000A.D.TheDanishKing,Hrothgar,hasbuiltafabulousmeadhall,Heorot,forhimselfandhisretainers.However,Heorotisnotsafe:eachnightthemonsterGrendelaYacksthehallandkillsHrothgar'smen.Beowulf,aGeat,hearsofHrothgar'sdistressandtravelsthelandoftheDanestohelpridHeorotofthemonsterandtogarnerfameforhimself.BeowulffightswithGrendelwhenthemonsteraYacksthehall.HeripsoffGrendel'sarm,andthemonsterflees,dying.Grendel'smotherlateraYacksHrothgar'smeninretalia:onforherson'sdeath.BeowulfalsofightsGrendel'smotherandkillsher.

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GardnerhatesSartre–the“existen:alist”Existen:al=Itisbasedontheassump:onthatindividualsarefreeandresponsiblefortheirownchoicesandac:ons.Hence,wearenotvic:msofcircumstancebecausewearewhatwehavechosentobe.Lifeanddeathdoesn’treallymaYerthroughGrendel’seyes.POV:•  Youcandetermine:FirstPerson.Whythischoice?(sowecanrelatetohim)

Sympathyforthemonster–withoutthis,wedon’tcareaboutthepoormonster.Hedoesn’texist.HowisitdifferentfromBeowulf?LimitedPOVmaymakedeterminingthememorecomplex.

•  Researchreveals:GardnersaidhewantedtopresentGrendelasSartre(whomhedespised).AccordingtoSartre,humanbeingsarebasicallyisolatedindividualsinanaccidentalworldwhereGoddoesnotexist.Manmustthereforecreatehisownvalues,eventhoughthesevalueshavenomeaningoutsidetheindividualconsciousness.Thus,whenGrendelisaYackedbythebullwhiletrappedinatree,herealizesthat"theworldwasnothing:amechanicalchaosofcasual,bruteenmity.Iunderstoodthat,finallyandabsolutely,Ialoneexist"(Chapter2).Fromthatmomentun:ltheendofthestory,inwhichGrendeldescribeshisfatalwoundasan"accident"(Chapter12),themonsterar:culatesSartre'sbleakphilosophy.

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Gardner'sGrendelisabookoftwelvechapters.Why12?•  thenumberrecallingGrendel'stwelve‐yearbaYlewithHrothgar,•  themonthsoftheyear,•  andthesignsofthezodiac.Thebook,however,isnotinstraightchronologicalorder.Rather,Gardnerusesdevicessuchasflashbacks,allusions,andforeshadowingtohelprelatethestory.ThepresenttensepassagesofthebookmovethereaderchronologicallythroughthetwelvemonthsofthetwelUhyearofGrendel'swarwithHrothgar.Interspersedamongthepresenttensepassagesarepasttensepassagestellingoftheyearsleadinguptothepresent.Throughout,asthefirstpersonnarratorofhisownstory,Grendelgrowsinhisunderstandingofthenatureoflanguageanditspowertocreateanddestroyworlds.

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RAM,BULL,TWINS,CRAB–WEARERUNNINGCOUNTERCLOCKWISE–UNWINDINGTIME?ThebookopensinApril,themonthoftheram.ItisinthepresenttensewithGrendelobservingtheworldaroundhim,watchingaramonamountain.Immediatelyhisconcernwithlanguagebecomesevident:"Talking,talking.Spinningawebofwords,palewallsofdreams,betweenmyselfandallIsee."•  Grendellivesinacaveunderaburninglakewithhismother,amute,beast‐like

creaturewhocaresforandprotectshim.Thereareother"shadowyshapes"inthecave,butGrendelalonecanspeak.HarkensbacktotheAllegory.What’stheconnec:on?

•  InChapter2,Grendelrecallsanimportantmoment:trappedinatree,cryingforhismother(elementalconnec:on),Grendelencountersmenforthefirst:me.ThemostimportantthingabouttheencounteristhatthemenspeakwordsthatGrendelunderstands,althoughthemendonotunderstandGrendel'swords.Communica:onisoneway

•  AUerhisrescuefromthetreebyhismother,Grendelbeginswatchingthemen

andtheirac:ons–almostanobsession.ThethirdchapterisasummaryofwhatheseesthroughouttheyearsastheDanesslowlydevelophumanciviliza:on.

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Grendel,unhingedbytheShaper'swords,visitsthedragontofindanswerstohisques:onsaboutorder,language,andtruth.(ThisisthesamedragonwhowillkillandbekilledbyBeowulfintheAnglo‐Saxonepic.)Grendelknowsfate.ThedragontellshimthattheShaper'swordsarean"illusionofreality,"andthattheyonlyservetomakethementhinkthatthereismeaningintheuniverse.Gardnersetsupthepointthatwordsarepowerfulandcanshapetheuniverse.Dragonsays‐nope.Accordingtothedragon,themen'sreligion,ritual,andsongsarenothingmorethannonsensewhoseonlypurposeittomakethembelievethatlifeisnotrandomaccident.Grendel’slastwords:“I’vehadaterribleaccident”Grendelhasacceptedtheargumentatthispoint.ThedragondeniestheexistenceofGodandmeaning,advisingGrendelto"seekoutgoldandsitonit."GrendeldiscoversaUerleavingthedragonthatthedragonhasputacurseonhim:hecannotbeinjuredbythemen'sweapons.It’scalledacurse,notablessing.It’sacurseb/cnothingcanhurtyouthatisaweaponofmankind.HebeginsraidingHrothgar'smeadhall,killingandea:ngmen.Ononeoccasion,heencountersUnferth,whostandsuptohimwithboldwordsofheroism.Unferthisthe

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Intheeighthchapter,GrendelrelateshowHrothgar'snephew,Hrothulf,arrivedatthemeadhallaUerthemurderofhisfather.HisresenqulartudeanddesireforpowergivesGrendeltheopportunitytoconsider"theideaofviolence"whichgrowsintheyoungman.ThefollowingchapterfeaturesGrendel'sencounterwithapriest,whichleadstoseveralobserva:onsonthenatureofreligion.Grendeldoesn’tconfirmthepriestsdoctrine.Confusingreligiousconnec:on.RememberwhereGardnerstandsonreligionInthetenthchapter,Grendelfeelstormentedbyboredom,andobservesthedeathoftheoldpoetShaper.TheonewhohasmovedGrendeltolanguageandclosertohumanity,andcanshapehistorydies.Meanwhile,hismother(theonewhocannotspeakatall)hasbecomestrangelyprotec:veofhimandtriestopreventGrendelfromleavingthelair.Inthenext‐to‐lastchapter,strangersarrivebysea.(Thisisthe:nyoverlayoftherealBeowulf)ThisistheunnamedherothatthereaderknowstobeBeowulf.Grendelisstrangelyexcitedbythepresenceofthestrangers.HeaYacksthehalllateatnightandmakesafatalerror:heallowsBeowulftograbhimbythewrist.Hecouldn’tbehurtbyaweapon,butthehumanhandcan.AlthoughGrendelcannotbeharmedby

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Publishedin1971–ComingoutofVietnam,theunwinnablewarThisboilingpotofhistoryiswhat’shappeninginGardner’smindashereachesbacktodealwiththecorevaluesofwesternciviliza:on.

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Youwillbeconnec:ngthesethemesandconsideringGardner’sstanceinregardstothesebigideasoverthenextfewdays.Althoughtheyarebornfromthemanandthe:mesitisimportanttonotethathischoicesservetomakethemmoreuniversalandlessofthemoment.

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