Grendel

This book is a gem of a read. Lovely in its portal of the human condition through an unhuman source. Better than Beowulf. A must read.

Yes! It's a glorious read! You don't have to know the original story, but it helps. Briefly, the Anglo-Saxon epic "Beowulf"where the monster Grendel makes his appearance, dates from about 700 AD, was probably written in England, but describes events in Denmark. An aging king's hall is troubled for twelve years by visits from a monster who lives in the depths of a marshy lake. The monster breaks into the hall at night and seizes and eats men. It is invulnerable to swords. Eventually, a neighboring group come to the hall promising to deal with the monster. The king's men are a bit humiliated, but in no position to refuse. Sure enough, the hero Beowulf wrestles the monster and succeeds in tearing off its arm. Monster goes back to marsh to die, but...here comes Mama Monster, and she is REALLY bad news. However, Beowulf tracks her to their den under the lake and kills her too.

John Gardner's "Grendel" retells the story...from the point of view of the monster. His Grendel is an enthralling creation, basically all Id, ruled by appetite and impulse, given to sudden craziness, but full of inchoate yearnings and an endearing scepticism about the bombastic heroics of the drunken Danes. He watches everything, hidden behind cowsheds or in a tree. He is smitten with the beauty of the king's young queen! (But he has no sex urge: invading the royal bedchamber, he is appalled by her nakedness).

Grendel is full of confused metaphysical musings on the nature of reality, time, fate, and other inconvenient appurtenances of daily life. He is not the only philosopher, however: there is a wonderful portrait of an all-knowing dragon (who also features elsewhere in the original, but is only seen in repose in this book).The dragon is a wily old rascal, of impenetrable cunning and endowed with great power. Even Grendel fears him. (Actually, in full philosophical flood the dragon is more like a cross between Alan Watts and Stephen Hawking). Then there is Grendel's mother, a nasty bloated thing who has forgotten speech, a limbic horror:

"When I sleep, she presses close to me, half buries me under her thistly fur and fat. "Dool-Dool," she moans. She drools and weeps. "Warrovish," she whimpers, and tears at herself. Hanks of fur come away in her claws. I see gray hide."

All the writing is just splendid, varied in rhythm, brilliant in imagery, incisive in tone: a scene in a sentence. Here is an archer hunting the winter woods:

"The man, furred from his toes to his ears, walks through the moon-and-snowlit woods, silent as an owl, huge bow on his shoulder, his eyes on the dark tracks."

It is also hilarious: he describes his night visits to the king's hall "[I have] ... knocked politely on the high oak door, bursting its hinges and sending the shock of my greeting inward like a cold blast out of a cave. "Grendel!" they squeak, and I smile, like an exploding spring. The old Shaper, a man I cannot help but admire, goes out the back window with his harp at a single bound, though blind as a bat."

Or the description of the tame bear during a feast in the hall:

"The bear sat with his feet stuck out, playing with his penis and surveying the hall with a crotchety look, as if dimly aware that there was something about him that humans could not approve."

Tempted enough? Go for it. A super book.

If you ever wanted to enter the mind of a serial killer, then this is the book for you. No story is simple. Grendel came to the point he did after much contemplation and injury. The intriguing part of the story comes from your sympathy for his character. It's a contemplation of life and living and what is real and isn't.

Grendel" by John Gardner is the ancient story of Beowulf as told by the monster Grendel. Three quarters of the book is about Grendel as he sinks further into insanity and terrorizes Hrothgar and his people. The remaining quarter is about the coming of Beowulf and his conflict with Grendel, as described in the actual book "Beowulf."

"Grendel" is an excellent book. It is absolutely fascinating seeing things from the monster's point of view. Where there is a lack of story involving Grendel in "Beowulf," "Grendel" fills in the blanks with monstrous insanity. The book covers a wide range of intellect, from mindless killer to profoundly deep and surreal beyond that of our human mind. The only problem is the end, which is inevitable since the book follows "Beowulf." Fortunately the ending is executed creatively, bringing a wonderful book to it's end.

The book Grendel, written by John Gardener, tells the story of when Grendel began his life pondering all of life's mysteries. Experiencing pain, sorrow, and happiness, Grendel develops a character all his own. Slowly, as Grendel grows older, he explores more and more of his surrounding area until he finally encounters humans. As Grendel watches the trials and tribulations of the humans, he becomes more and more disgusted with the pitiful creatures until he finally wages war on Hrothgar's hall.

"Grendel" is an amazing story written from the point of view of the villain in the classic novel, "Beowulf." Written in the same medieval style as "Beowulf," "Grendel" gives the reader insight into the mind of the monster. Written by John Gardner, who was a phenomenal professor of medieval literature and ancient languages, "Grendel" is a must read for all classic literature fans.