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John Gardners Grendel

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NIHILISM: belief that nothing has meaning- life is a long series of accidents. ... The alternative to nihilism and cynicism. Represents truth and purity ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: John Gardners Grendel


1
John Gardners Grendel
2
Grendel
  • Beowulf- epic poem- from the viewpoint of the
    man-eating monster Grendel
  • Story of a once innocent and naïve beast who
    becomes corrupted and disillusioned
  • Influenced and defined by his environment
  • Grendel chooses his own fate in the novel

3
Grendel
  • Three-dimensional character
  • Sense of humor, gift for language, weakness for
    poetry
  • Strives to escape from the baseness of life

4
Grendel
  • He slowly loses faith in his importance in life
  • He finally self-destructs mind before body
  • He is the anti-hero an alienated loner with no
    self-definition or self-worth
  • He struggles to understand his place in a
    meaningless world

5
Grendel
  • Unferth
  • Definition of hero
  • Foil for Grendel
  • Grendels Mother
  • Emphasizes the importance of language
  • Dragon
  • Relationship with Grendel
  • Expand on concept of nihilism

6
Character Development
  • SOLIPSISM belief that the self can only know
    itself and it is the only entity which
    exists.
  • Regardless of this belief the universe will
    continue to function and impose itself upon
    Grendel- causing him confusion and anger
  • NIHILISM belief that nothing has meaning- life
    is a long series of accidents.
  • Destroys his self quickly and totally- no hope
    or desire
  • CYNICISM belief that everyone is for
    themselves- selfish.
  • He becomes totally unhappy and sees nothing
    positive- his life is empty and void of life

7
BEOWULF
  • The alternative to nihilism and cynicism
  • Represents truth and purity
  • Provides the answers for Grendels questions
    beauty is beauty and truth is truth
  • the answers are too late

8
Themes
  • Grendels fall into a brute existence
  • Struggle between good and evil
  • Clash between order and disorder
  • His evolution from solipsism to nihilism
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