Grendel Review
A Brief overview of the novel; themes; main
concepts; & big points
Chapter Reviews
Chapter 1:
12 year war
humans gaining dignity etc
“blind prejudice”--talking about deer but ppl in
general too (man hating him w/o knowing him)
Scaring ppl used to give him pride but now just
lonely
Chapter Review cont.
Chapters 2-3
Words are Grendel’s escape--barrier for protection
from the reality that he is creating
whole world is mechanical chaos--stupidly imposing
hope & fear on undeserving ppl
He creates (blink-blink) meaning that only he truly
exists
Grendel is the lack in the universe--the void that ppl
will always strive for but never reach
Chapter Review cont.
Chapters 2-3
Hrothgar--throwing his ax
Nothing to stop the advance of man (against nature)
Remember that Grendel created nature
Grendel becomes the force to stop him
His nemesis=the Shaper
unreality “fire that is more dangerous than real fire”
Romantic idealism is more dangerous than reality
Chapter Review cont.
Chapter 4
Shaper--reshaping the world to fit dreams
Grendel, however, wants the shaper’s tale to be
reality even if he is the cursed race--force reality on
man by using their dreams & ideals as his medium
Chapter Review cont.
Chapter 5--the DRAGON
Knowledge is not cause--recollection does not CAUSE an accident
Accidents happen w/o knowledge or w/ knowledge
Idea is that accidents will happen w/o being created by any being
(Grendel, man etc are all accidents w/o knowledge)
Man--creates theories w/o making connections; creating same mistakes over
and over again
This causes their insanity
Grendel--improves man by scaring “life” into them
However--if he doesn’t push then something else will; man is Grendel’s cause
for existence
Chapter Review cont.
Chapter 6--Unferth
Agrees that songs are trash--romantic ideal of a hero
is stupid BUT he still goes along w/ man b/c he wants
to fit in--wants that heroes death
Grendel never kills him b/c he understands reality
Chapter Review cont.
Chapter 7--progression into insanity for Grendel (switching from 1st to 3rd
person pt of view)
Wiltheo--the wife of Hrothgar
lives within the falsehood but she sees reality; comes to Herot for an
ideal--only sees it as a duty not an ideal
Chapter 8
Snapshots of reality--Hrothulf--danger for the ppl but they choose not to
see it
Similar to how Grendel is not dangerous but b/c of his looks they hate
him whereas Hrothulf is dangerous but b/c he looks normal they are not
afraid of him
Chapter Review cont.
Chapter 9
Something coming “Religion is sick”
the priest of the King of Gods
limitations “ultimate irrationality; concrete actuality”
Actual=created; involves death (so God is merely
created in the minds & dreams of man)
Things fade, alternatives exclude: God is limited and
excludes creation from reality of this
Chapter Review cont.
Chapter 10
Shaper is dying
Working up nerve to die b/c when he dies so will
their hopes & dreams
thinking about one’s actions is illogical & wastes
time b/c you cannot have that time back
It wastes the now
Chapter Review cont.
Chapter 11
Beowulf finally coming
Grendel’s humor--apple fight; mocking coast guard; war humor;
bloody humor
Tedium is the worst pain (the waiting)
Order is theoretical=man made
Beowulf--scares Grendel b/c he is more insane than Grendel;
believes the lies
Irony: Grendel is “fate” but Beowulf can shape
Chapter Review cont.
Chapter 12
Beowulf whispering--creating Grendel into man’s reality (which is dreams)--shapes the
unreality
This way he could kill the “monster”
“Nothing made remains. Now man remembers”--his curse on man; remembering what they
could have had
Why must Grendel die?
man made the decision to go w/ fantasy over reality
Picked man’s unconnected; unrealistic dreams over reality
Grendel’s death is accident--entire existence was to teach reality but failed b/c of man’s
decision
For Gardiner: going w/ religion & believing in God when reality/experience/etc. tells us
differently
Chapter Review cont.