Post Modern; Coming-of-Age; Philosophical Literature; Satire; Tragedy
Grendel has a lot going for it—and a lot going on in the narrative. The overarching genre for this tale clearly is tragedy (lots of people die here, and there is the promise of total annihilation to come). But there are many ways in which this story plays with our expectations in terms of genre. For one thing, we're crying for the monster, not for the hero, so that's a real 180 from Beowulf. But there's more going on.
Change-Up
Gardner challenges us on every front. Once we get that, we can see the elements of some familiar genres at work, often in unexpected ways. And even though this isn't a clear-cut coming-of-age story like Harry Potter, it is clearly the story of a young man—er, young something discovering his identity and finding his place in society—even if that identity in society is Destroyer of Society.
In the process, Grendel turns into one philosophical dude. Even before he gets a heavy dose of metaphysical thought from the dragon, he ponders the nature of existence and identity—and the more he observes, the more he realizes that things aren't what they seem. The title "king" doesn't necessarily imply kingly behavior; "human" doesn't always mean humane; and "heroic" looks a lot different when you are on the receiving end of supposedly heroic deeds.
Grendel's complex perspective puts him in the perfect place to criticize and poke fun of a lot of ideas we hold dear: government, loyalty, heroism, honor, identity. Tired yet? We hope not, because Grendel's going to take each one to the bitter end.