In Grendel, Gardner re-imagines the Anglo-Saxon tale of Beowulf. In Gardner’s version of the story, the omniscient narrator is replaced by the monster, Grendel. This role reversal serves to make Grendel a parody of the original story. Telling the story from the villain’s point of view also works to add a spin and new perspective to the story.
A significant detail to point out when determining why Grendel is the narrator is his philosophy on life. Grendel’s stance as an existentialist reinforces why Gardner made the protagonist an evil monster. Gardner despised the existential ideology. Displaying a man-eating hell spawn as existential functioned to put people off of the belief.
Secondly, it isn’t everyday that authors work to make a villain the protagonist. It is always interesting to see an author successfully develop an evil protagonist. The depth added to a usually two-dimensional character grabs the attention of the audience. Putting this type of spin on a classic epic takes a lot of intellect and creativity. Gardner obviously had both for he succeeded in created an intriguing novel.
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