Grendel

by John Gardner Jr.

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Grendel Questions and Answers

In chapter nine of Grendel, what ironies occur?

In John Garner's Grendel, why do you think Grendel insists that his death is an accident?

In Grendel, how is Grendel an anti-hero?

What are some major differences between John Gardner's novel Grendel and the epic Beowulf?

What is the tone of the book Grendel versus the story Beowulf?

What is immediately established by the contrast between the goat and Grendel?

How does Grendel's status as a monster affect his storytelling in the story?

Why does John Gardner retell Beowulf from the monster's point of view?

Who or what does Grendel consider as "the bad guys" in the world?

Is Grendel portrayed as a hero or a villain in Gardner's novel, Grendel?

How does Grendel in John Gardner's "Grendel" compare to Grendel in Beowulf?

How does the relationship between Grendel and the Shaper evolve in John Gardner's Grendel?

In Grendel, how does Grendel narrating his own story impact your perception of him and Beowulf, and the plot?

Is Grendel an unreliable narrator? Why?

How would you characterize Grendel's tone in the first chapter of Grendel by John Gardner?

In Beowulf and Grendel, how are the shapers viewed differently?

Why does Beowulf ask Wiglaf to build a tomb called Beowulf's tower?

In Grendel, what poetic device is used in “ragged little bands that roamed the forest on foot"?  

In Grendel by John Gardner, in what areas does the reader find instances that indicate the novel is a satire?

How does Grendel's attitude towards language change throughout the story?

How does the theme of "truth" in John Gardner's Grendel derive from faulty perceptions and apply to the whole novel?

How does the author of Grendel give internal events the sense of excitement usually associated with external actions?

In Grendel, who or what is considered good by Grendel and what does this goodness entail?

In Grendel, what is the outcome of Beowulf's battle with Grendel?