DO NOW
• Share your findings about your horoscope/ zodiac
sign with your groups.
• Is any of the information accurate?
GARDNER’S PURPOSE
• According to Craig J. Stromme, who wrote a paper
about "The Twelve Chapters of Grendel," John Gardner
once said in an interview that 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
(though with Sartre in particular) and see what I could
do."
• And, finally, in Stromme's paper, he quotes Gardner as
saying about 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."
So, be on the lookout for the twelve signs of the zodiac in
the novel, and be ready to make connections (since
Gardner says he put them in there as clues.)
CREATE A TEXTUAL EVIDENCE CHART
HOW DO ZODIAC SIGNS AFFECT LITERARY ELEMENTS/ TECHNIQUES
IN THE NOVEL?
• 4 columns
• Zodiac Sign/ Animal
• Traits
• Textual Evidence
• Conclusions
ASTROLOGY &
GRENDEL
THE HISTORY OF ASTROLOGY
• Astrology originated in ancient Babylonia and spread from
there to China, India, and the West, where different but
related traditions grew up.
• The earliest known horoscope incorporating the principles of
mature astrology dates from 409 BC. In the 2d century AD the
astronomer Claudius PTOLEMY prefaced his Tetrabiblos with a
defense of astrology that proved influential. After the fall of
the Roman Empire, astrology declined in the Latin west but
flourished in the hands of the conquerors of the Eastern
Empire.
• In the 12th century astrology began to prosper in Western
Europe. By the end of the 17th century, however, astrology
was considered a pseudoscience by almost all learned
people. Not only was it opposed to the Christian doctrines of
divine intervention and human free will, but also the
acceptance of a greatly-expanded, Sun-centered universe
raised doubt about whether the heavens were created to
direct changes on Earth.
THE HISTORY OF ASTROLOGY
• Based on the premise that there is a relationship
between astronomical phenomena and events in the
human world
• In the West, astrology most often consists of a system of
horoscopes that claim to explain aspects of a person's
personality and predict future events in their life based
on the positions of the sun, moon, and other planetary
objects at the time of their birth.
• Many cultures have attached importance to
astronomical events, and the Indians, Chinese, and
Mayans developed elaborate systems for predicting
terrestrial events from celestial observations.
ASTROLOGY & SCIENCE
• Astrology has been rejected by the scientific
community as having no validity or explanatory
power for describing the universe
• Scientific testing of astrology found no evidence to
support any of the premises or purported effects
outlined in astrological traditions.
• There is no proposed mechanism of action by
which the positions and motions of stars and planets
could affect people and events on Earth that does
not contradict well understood, basic aspects of
biology and physics.
• Yet still, many people follow astrology in their own
lives.
ASTROLOGY IN LITERATURE
• Astrological references appear in literature in the
works of poets such as:
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Dante Alighieri
Geoffrey Chaucer
Christopher Marlowe
William Shakespeare
And, of course, John Gardener’s Grendel
THE ZODIAC
• The zodiac, or "circle of animals" is a zone or belt in
space projected onto the celestial sphere through
which, from our viewpoint, the planets move.
• A symbolic geometric construction around 15 to 18
degrees wide, it is divided into 12 signs, each of 30
degrees longitude (making 360 degrees in all), with
the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun, as its
middle line. The tropical zodiac used by most
Western astrologers has its beginning at the exact
moment that the Sun crosses the celestial equator
and enters the zodiacal sign of Aries.
THE ASTROLOGICAL CYCLE
• The astrological cycle comprises twelve signs, each
associated with earth’s position in space relative to
the sun and other celestial bodies.
• The cycle begins in March/April, with Aries—the
Ram—and ends in February/March, with Pisces—
the Fish.
• Each of the signs is represented by a symbol, and
those born under a particular sign are said to exhibit
some common personality traits.
ASTROLOGICAL CHART
GRENDEL
• John Gardner weaves astrological symbolism into
each chapter, following the annual cycle from Aries
to Pisces.
• For example, the first chapter contains a ram, the
symbol for Aries.
• Characters or situations exhibit traits common to
each sign… our goal is analyze the effect this
structure has on the story.
CHAPTER 1
ARIES: THE RAM
• March 21- April 20
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Confident
Leaders
Very determined
Egoistic
Ambitious
Brave
Acts before thinking
CHAPTER 2
TAURUS: BULL
• April 21-May 21
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Objective
Concrete
Usually calm
Narrow-minded
Stubborn
Exits alone
CHAPTER 3
GEMINI: TWIN LAMBS
• May 22-June 21
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Versatile
Superficial
Quick-witted
Good with words
Dual-natured
CHAPTER 4
CANCER: CRAB
• June 22-July 22
• Creative
• Close to family
• Nourishing
CHAPTER 5
LEO: LION
• July 23- August 22
• Dramatic
• Cheerful
• Resilient
CHAPTER 6
VIRGO: VIRGINS
• August 23-September 23
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Studious
Knowledge-seeking
Endowed with common sense
Can exchange old ideas for
new ones
CHAPTER 7
LIBRA: SCALE
• September 24-October 23
• Prefers peaceful environment
• Displays balanced personalities
• Acts as conciliator
CHAPTER 8
SCORPIO: SCORPION
• October 24-November 22
• Persistent
• Fights for beliefs
• Drifts toward “dark side”
CHAPTER 9
SAGITTARIUS: ARCHER
• November 23-December 21
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Adventurous
Impassioned
Spontaneous
Open-minded but devoutly
religious
CHAPTER 10
CAPRICORN: HORNED GOAT
• December 22- January 20
• Determined
• Displays sense of obligation to
care for dependents
• Somewhat pessimistic
CHAPTER 11
AQUARIUS: WATER BEARER
• January 21-February 19
• Self-centered
• Somewhat aloof
• Focuses on individuality rather
than being part of a group
CHAPTER 12
PISCES: FISH
• February 20- March 20
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Sensitive and helpful
Intuitive
Not easily deceived
Focused on connectedness
rather than individuality
GROUP CHALLENGE
• Consider the ram in chapter 1 of Grendel.
• Analyze the ram’s presence in terms of the Zodiac &
add evidence/ explanations to your chart.
• How does the ram affect literary elements/
techniques in chapter 1?
• Continue this for the remaining chapters of the
novel.