Grendel (novel)
Grendel is a 1971 book by John Gardner . It is a telling of the old epic poem Beowulf from the perspective of the antagonist , Grendel . The book is about the search for meaning in the world, as well as literature and mythology , and the nature of good and evil.
Grendel is one of Gardner's best known and most acclaimed books. Various editions of the book contain abstract woodcut images of Grendel's head by Emil Antonucci . Ten years after its publication, the book was made into an animated film in 1981: Grendel Grendel Grendel .
plot
The main features of the plot come directly from Beowulf , a heroic poem by an unknown author, which was written in Old English and handed down as a manuscript from AD 1000. The poem is about the battles of Beowulf, who has to fight three villains: Grendel , Grendel's mother and a dragon. Gardner's book, on the other hand, shows the story from the existential point of view of Grendel, starting with the story of the character before Beowulf's appearance. Beowulf himself plays a relatively small role in the book: although he is the only human hero who can take on Grendel, he is never directly named in the book. The book does not deal with any of the events that occurred after Grendel's death.
Film adaptations
- An Australian film called Grendel Grendel Grendel is based on Gardner's book.
- The film Beowulf & Grendel , released in 2005, is inspired by the book.
swell
- John Gardner: Grendel . Illustrations by Emil Antonucci. Vintage Books, New York 1971, ISBN 0-679-72311-0 .
- SparkNotes, Grendel
- The Grendex