John Gardner’s “Grendel” paints a sympathetic portrait of the infamous monster Grendel from the Old English epic “Beowulf”. Having never read “Beowulf”, I was drawn to this book by the cover: the wolfish, figure standing under a muddy sky, mouth agape in a mewling howl. In hindsight, I’m sure it reminded me of my childhood favorite “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak. Similar to the chimeric creatures of Sendak’s classic, the titular “Grendel” is stuck somewhere between human and animal, child and adult, higher emotion and feral instinct.
As a Latin student, I’ve read plenty of myths whose cultural significance has been hidden in the folds of time. Gardner’s depiction of the primeval monster Grendel is surprisingly contemporary; Grendel is ostensibly teenaged, his flights of immaturity and world-weariness not too different from the protagonists’ of my favorite bildungsromans.
This is why, in my opinion, this book has such an interesting set-up: medieval society is seen through the eyes of a creature trapped in transition. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys dark fantasy and challenge fans of coming-of-age novels to try it out.
