Taurus (this chapter is about Grendel s youth, a flashback)

Transcription

1 Grendel, by John Gardner discussion questions Chapter 1 Aries (This chapter is about current, ennui-filled Grendel) Page 5 What is Grendel s worldview? Find evidence. How does the reader know this is in media res? Find evidence Page 6 Explain Grendel s attitude towards the ram and mechanical action. What is Grendel s attitude to God? Find evidence. Page 7 Find and explain the Anglo-Saxon literary devices. What do these reveal about Grendel? Page 8 Find and explain evidence of Grendel as a higher-order being, a thinker Page 9 What is Grendel s attitude towards his mother? What does the reader learn of the world s attitude to Grendel? Page 10 What drives Grendel forward? Explain his isolation Page 11 Find and explain biblical allusions and Anglo-Saxon literary devices Page 12 Find and explain the ironies. Who and what is the Shaper? Page 13 What else does one learn about the Shaper? See the Frankenstein reference? What evidence of religious belief? Page 14 A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds (Ralph Waldo Emerson). What on page 14 illustrates this? Chapter 2 Taurus (this chapter is about Grendel s youth, a flashback) Page 15 How is Grendel like you? Page 16 How do the snakes function symbolically? Page 17 What is a troll? Explain mother s attitude and actions. Find and explain Grendel s anxiety, aloneness, and isolation Page 18 Trapped. How would one shoot this in a movie scene? Grendel fears death. Does a cow feel this way as it heads to slaughter? How do you know? Page 19 Examine and explain Grendel s imagination in the top half of the page. Find the astrological reference? How would you shoot the scene beginning at the bottom of the page? Page 20 Consider how aware the bull is of his power. Do humans do this? Page 21 How is the bull not Grendel s match? Consider intelligence and actions of each. The very bottom of the page (goes over to page 22) outlines an existential theme. Read and explain it. Pages 23 to 27 How are men both like and unlike Grendel? What does Grendel learn from and about men? (also see the middle of page 27) Pages 27 and 28 Discuss mother, her actions, her language. Find the existential themes repeated at the bottom of page 28 Chapter three (Gemini, the twins) This chapter focuses on Hrothgar Page 30 What evidence of Grendel s malevolence? Page 31 Grendel is a great observer. What is the evidence? Page 31 What is the evidence of Grendel s appreciation of aesthetic (artistic) beauty? Page 32 Grendel likes to watch. Any scene like Frankenstein here? Page 32 Why is man the most vicious creature?

2 Page 33 (top) What is ironically funny here? Page 33 Why does Grendel like to spy on the humans? What is in it for him? Page 34 Who is the Shaper? What does he do and how does he do it? Page 36 What evidence of Grendel having a sense of propriety (respectability)? Page 37 How does Hrothgar control territory? Page 39 How do roads enable empire? Page 40 What actual good is it, all this gold? Page 41 See something familiar? Page 42 How does the Shaper shape reality and create truth? Chapter Four (Cancer the crab) This chapter focuses upon the Shaper Page 46 What name has the author given Heorot? Page 47 (top) What or who inspires the Shaper s songs? How? What does the Shaper achieve? Page 47 (center) What is the Shaper s story? Does it seem plausible to Grendel? Page 48 (top) How does Grendel allow himself to be fooled by the Shaper? Why? Page 48 (bottom) What is this ancient voice? Page 48 (lower) Does Grendel admire the Shaper? Explain. Page 51 (upper) What does the song achieve? Explain the biblical allusions Page 52 (upper) What ironies here? How is Grendel misunderstood? Page 52 (lower) Oooooh swear words. Grendel tries these on for the first time. Remember yours? Page 53 (upper) Grendel is acutely aware of his isolation. How does he recognize the idea of God? Page 53 (lower) How does Grendel illustrate his wisdom, his foresight? Page 54 How does the interior dialogue work? Page 55 What is the evidence of Grendel as outcast? Page 56 What does mother have to say? Meaning? Chapter five Leo (this chapter is about the dragon)

3 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Pages 61 and 62 Pages 63 to 74 Generally, what do you make of the dragon? Explore the dragon imagery and appearance Find the dragon s narrative. Characterize him by his speech. Discuss how aware the dragon is of his power, his potential Explore the dragon s shift in mood. What animates the dragon? What does he love? Why? What is omniscience? Would you like this ability? Getting philosophical, eh? (It gets harder haha.) Find any areas of interest in this section and discuss them. This section is quite tough. Do not forget about the last words of the chapter. Chapter 6 Virgo (this chapter focuses on Unferth, the uninitiated) Page 75 What does one learn of the dragon s charm? Page 76 If you were invulnerable, what would you do? Is Grendel now even more alone than before? Page 77 What quality (s) does Grendel detest in humans? Page 78 Why would the dragon impose an invulnerability (curse?) on old Grendel and not tell him about it? Page 79 Grendel means no harm. So what provokes him? Page 80 Examine the boasting Page 81 Discuss the futility, the arrogance Pages Meet Unferth. Evaluate Unferth s actions and gestures and Grendel s responses Page 84 Discuss speaking tone Page 85 Spot the astrological reference? Discuss the humor of this scene Page 86 Is this the warrior code? What ironies are at work here? Page 87 Does Grendel respect Unferth in any way? Page 88 Does Grendel show his noble side? Page 89 What is the purpose of a hero? Page 90 Identify and explain the ironies Chapter 7 Libra (this chapter focuses on Wealtheow) Page 91 Line one Page 92 Note the interior dialogue, the rhymes, and the numbers Page 93 Note the 3 rd person references. What is nihilism? Page 94+ This is a flashback technique. Determine Wealtheow s origins. Page 100 How does Wealtheow function as a device? Her purpose? Page 101+ How do the men change? Why. What of the Shaper s songs? Page 102+ Why does Unferth appear timid? Page 104 What evidence of Libra? Page 105+ Characterize Wealtheow Page 107+ Describe the relationship between Hrothgar and Hygmod

4 Page 109+ Grendel attacks. Why does he not destroy Wealtheow? Chapter 8 Scorpio The focus of this chapter is Hrothulf, Hrogar s nephew Page 114 Why does the bread thief die costliest of advocates. Discuss Page 115 Second stanza. How does existence of one create suffering for others? Page 116 What does the poem reveal about innocence and experience? Page 117 Who is Red Horse? What is his function? Page 118 This page oozes with profound meaning. Find some. Page 119 So does this page. Find some more. Page 120 Look at the last sentence Page 121 Look at the irony of the last sentence Pages 124/5 How does the tree metaphor work? Chapter 9 Sagittarius (The astrological sign is the archer) Page 125 Spot the astrological signs? There is another, embedded, deep in this chapter. It is very subtle. Find it. Page 126 Grendel senses something. What? Spot the astrological sign? Pages Look at the style of the bridging section. How does the style mirror the subject matter? Page 128 Look at the middle paragraph. Do you agree with these suggestions about religion? Page Consider the destruction. Why the destruction and repair? Notice the move to omniscient narrator? Page 130 Why blind? How is this advantage for Grendel? What do you know about Shiva and the Fates? Pages What role does Grendel play here? What theological matters happen here? Pages Read the very brilliant section bridging these pages. Discuss. Page 134 Spot the irony at the top of the page? Look at the bottom of the page. Was this true of Martin Luther? Page 135 How does the fourth priest contrast to the other three? Page 137 Last line waiting for what? Chapter 10 Capricorn The astrological sign is the goat/the sea goat Page 138 Is the proposition on the first line true? Page 139 Spot the astrological reference? How is the goat like Unferth? Page 140 How are we like this goat? Page 141 See the direct reference to the poem? Page 142 To what do the children listen? Who is dying? What moods accompany this impending death? Page 143 What reverence, what respect accompanies the impending death? Page 144 Explain the forbidden love. What does Grendel know, see, hear? Page 145 Spot the Greek death references? Look at the last line. What does mother say? Page 146 Read lines 3 to 12. Herein is wisdom, knowledge, existential angst. This is profound poetry. Discuss. Page 147 Read lines 5 and 6. What does mother know? Warovvish. Think about it Page 149 Plates of foreshadowing here. Find the answer to page 147 yet? Page 150 It means nothing comes from nothing.

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