مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - DECONSTRUCTION OF EPIC BEOWULF IN JOHN GARDENER’S NOVEL GRENDEL

Abstract :

This article presents an analysis of the epic Beowulf, and the novel Grendel under the light of deconstruction theory. It also compares and contrasts the two works in terms of plot, characterization, and theme. The epic Beowulf is an influential text in English Literature and has been reinterpreted variously by different writers. John Gardner in his novel Grendel reinterprets the events taking place in the epic. This novel adaptation of the epic, which displays the contents of the epic from a different point of view, reconstructs the epic. The reconstructions include crucial changes in the epic although the main events remain the same in both works. The term “deconstruction” gains importance at this point. “Deconstruction” is a complex concept and is not defined by its initiator Jacques Derrida. However, when Derrida’s works are analyzed closely, we see that he gives some signposts about how to “deconstruct” a literary work. The present article claims that the novel Grendel deconstructs the epic Beowulf and provides a larger and more complete account of the events in the epic: first, it tries to define the term “deconstruction” in some works of Derrida and other writers. Then, it shows how the novel deconstructs the epic.