/lit/ - Literature

Wow. Because that hasn't been done about a million times? It's gotten to the point where it's more original to declare him a heartless monster, like the text would indicate.

The story of Grendel always depresses me. I think of him as a guy who was forced to live with this gnarly over-protective man-eating mom, but really all he wants is to have some human friends. Every time he gets near them they throw shit and threaten to kill him. Then he gets merc'ed by some blonde-haired bragging asshole looking for treasure.

Shit sucks.

>>1177274

Yeah i'm guessing so. I did a similar paper last year about Aaron in Titus Andronichus where i argued he was a pretty cool guy, wrote an awesome paper and got a good mark.

Now I get the same shit with a different title so maybe I won't be so sympathetic.

Problem though: I haven't read the poem nor did i intend to... Will it be in my best interest to read the parts about grendel? Oh and is watching the movie a good decision? I kind of want to sparknote hero this paper...

And honestly does anybody extrinsically think that Grendel should be dealt with sympathetically?

>>1177278
STORY OF YOUR LIFE LOL

>>1177278

Okay I guess you answered my question pretty well. I'm seeing troubles putting that into words though, i'm more of a logical writer... like what do you say, "Come on man, he's like... Just come on he didn't choose to be so contorted..."

But I see it as like, well... He kills a lot of people... He's intended to be....

Aw fuck I guess i'll have to defend him, honestly how can you write this paper arguing that grendel is just pure evil? It would be so narrow wouldn't it? People might mistake you for being narrow minded which is bullplop.

>>1177285
I think it'd be easier to write your paper if you read the poem. At least the first part about Grendel. The movie isn't the best thing to use for forming your opinion of Grendel, but I suppose it couldn't hurt if you watched it and read the poem for comparison. The poem is badass though.

>>1177285
You...didn't read Beowulf? WTF is wrong with you?

>>1177267

I suggest reading this book, then learning about this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth

It made for an interesting presentation in my junior year English class.

Or compare and contrast Beowulf's Grendel with Grendel's Grendel (which would work perfectly for your essay),

>>1177296
In the poem, there's no real indication that Grendel is a sympathetic character. That notion really became popular with the novel Grendel by John Gardner.

By making Grendel a sympathetic character, you're really misunderstanding the Medieval philosophy. To the people at the time, there was nothing flat or boring about a definitive good and evil.

>>1177308

I kind of thought so, ughhh.... This is a "no outside sources paper" so i'm pretty sure that it is directed specifically at that Gardner novel. But yeah in the poem Grendel never speaks, so there is little to no evidence oh him being humanistic, unless you argue that because he cannot speak it isn't fair to him in such an oral culture. But that would just be sooo predictable and lame....

>>1177318

This.

If you want to argue about the nature of good and evil and re-evaluate Grendel in light of your arguments, then sure, argue that he's actually misunderstood. But don't argue that in the poem he isn't actually representative of evil.

>>1177318
This. If you're going to go the "easy" way and make him out to be a heartless monster, at least use it to prove a point about the cultural context of the poem.

I mean, I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to be some groundbreaking new publication. It's just an essay for class, right? Just show that you can interpret information from different sources to prove a point.

Is there evidence to support the idea that "Grendel just wants to be human"? Or is it just some asshole's speculation and seeing things that aren't there?

>>1177327

It's just some asshole being some asshole.

>>1177320
>no outside source essay

Sure is your teacher is fishing for bullshit essays with the same answer.

Hmmmm lol just started looking closer at the whole grendel section, and I do notice that it could have been curiosity that drove him to the mead-hall, whereas curiosity is a humany-thing.

Then without reason he stabbed 30 men while they were sleeping.

....ugh... Yep, Grendel just wants to fit in!

>>1177339
He was trying to poke them awake to begin a pajama party but he didn't know his own strength.

Still havent read the poem, but in the movie, didnt he, liek, eat ppl just because they were a bit noisy?

>>1177346

Yeah he lived near a beer-hall and was jelly that he wasn't allowed to party so he killed everyone.

>>1177346
This is a literature forum. Beowulf a really short poem and the parts in which Grendel appear are even shorter. Read the poem. Seamus Heaney translation is good.

Soooo pretty much a Grendel walks into a mead-hall, mead-halltender says "we don't serve your kind here" so Grendel kills him and all his friends?

>>1177358
Read the goddman poem. Read just a few opening lines. Christ.

>>1177358
Everyone was kind of asleep when Grendel came in, so it was probably more of "fuck you" to everyone for not inviting him to their awesome viking shindig.

What you should do is just watch the movie Beowulf and Grendel and write your essay based on that. It's pretty close to accurate.

>>1177285
Beowulf isn't that long.

I read it twice while writing this.

Portray him as a canvas for aspies and "intellectuals" to project their feelings in modern day culture.

sup. what translation OP?
better be heaney's.

>>1177558

Hmm, i'm not sure who's translation it is, but it is out of an anthology and not from a straight up beowulf book (which some tryhards in my class went and bought).

So what would be the best movie to watch? I have time to watch one and only one...

Beowulf and Grendel sounds pretty good, any other competitors?

>>1178374
You suck so bad. Go to /tv/ if you want movie advice. This is a literature board. You are expected to read.

>>1178384

Yeah I read it, no offence, just trying to find out if there are any other good resources out there because this is a pretty touchy topic. I think I might watch the movie and then argue its main points, good idea no?

Argue Grendel represents aliens, whos signifigant influences (The pyramids, the pointed tip implied on swords, the great demon conspiricy of the haunting of grenwitch manor) is only further revealed as the text goes on, and ends with his death, showing that mankind, when it falls to such savagry as alien fucking, will always be destroyed by a blonde guy with a sword.

tl;dr - Grendel was a alien lab rat human, and that's terrible

Yeah I think i'm gonna go with Grendel just wanted some warm cocoa and a hug but instead got psychological torture and torment.

Poet claims he is the brood of Cain and a wicked spirit. Now, the poet may be misunderstanding, I suppose.... But a better question is, how like Grendel is Beowulf?

For example, both are occasionally described with the OE adjective gebolgen (swollen with rage). Is Beowulf himself a monster?

instead, write an essay which analogizes your teacher to grendel and concludes that in fact they are pure evil.