Grendel
by John Gardner
Table of Contents
Essay Topics
Essay topics
1. Why might the Gardner have chosen to change the writing style as often as he does, shifting from stream of consciousness narration to poetry to text reminiscent of a script?
2. Is the dragon that Grendel encounters “real” in the sense that the rest of the characters in the novel are real, or he a figment of Grendel’s mind? What evidence supports this view?
3. Does the novel, not Grendel himself, have a stance on religion? If so, how would you describe this stance?
4. Is Grendel a tragic hero in the classical sense? Why or why not?
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