Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. How is
Grendel structured?
How does this structure relate to the themes of the novel as a whole?
2.
Grendel is
a work of fiction based on another work of fiction. What is the
nature of this relationship, and how does it affect the meaning
of
Grendel?
3. Why is Grendel
attracted to the words of the Shaper? Why is he attracted to the
words of the dragon?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Why do you think Gardner made
the decision to use Grendel as a narrator? How does Grendel’s status
as a monster affect the way he tells the story?
2. What is Grendel’s attitude
toward language? How does it change throughout the novel?
3. What does Grendel want from
Hrothgar and the Danes? Would it ever be possible for Grendel to
attain his goal? If so, how?
4. Choose an astrological sign
and follow it through its associated chapter. What is the sign’s
relevance? What does it come to signify in Grendel as
a whole?
5. Trace Gardner’s use of “cartoon”
imagery throughout Grendel. Why is the use of grotesque,
exaggerated humor appropriate in the novel?
