DO NOW

• Share your findings about your horoscope/ zodiac sign with your groups.

• Is any of the information accurate?

GARDNER’S PURPOSE

• According to Craig J. Stromme, who wrote a paper about "The Twelve Chapters of Grendel," John Gardner once said in an interview that he "wanted to go through the main ideas of Western Civilization...and go through them in the voice of the monster, with the story already taken care of, with the various philosophical attitudes (though with Sartre in particular) and see what I could do."

 • And, finally, in Stromme's paper, he quotes Gardner as

saying about the organization of the novel: "It's got twelve chapters. They're all hooked up to astrological signs, for instance, and that gives you nice easy clues." So, be on the lookout for the twelve signs of the zodiac in the novel, and be ready to make connections (since Gardner says he put them in there as clues.)

CREATE A TEXTUAL EVIDENCE CHARTHOW DO ZODIAC SIGNS AFFECT LITERARY ELEMENTS/ TECHNIQUES

IN THE NOVEL?

• 4 columns

• Zodiac Sign/ Animal

• Traits

• Textual Evidence

• Conclusions

ASTROLOGY & GRENDEL

THE HISTORY OF ASTROLOGY

• Astrology originated in ancient Babylonia and spread from there to China, India, and the West, where different but related traditions grew up.

• The earliest known horoscope incorporating the principles of mature astrology dates from 409 BC. In the 2d century AD the astronomer Claudius PTOLEMY prefaced his Tetrabiblos with a defense of astrology that proved influential. After the fall of the Roman Empire, astrology declined in the Latin west but flourished in the hands of the conquerors of the Eastern Empire.

• In the 12th century astrology began to prosper in Western Europe. By the end of the 17th century, however, astrology was considered a pseudoscience by almost all learned people. Not only was it opposed to the Christian doctrines of divine intervention and human free will, but also the acceptance of a greatly-expanded, Sun-centered universe raised doubt about whether the heavens were created to direct changes on Earth.

THE HISTORY OF ASTROLOGY

• Based on the premise that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world

• In the West, astrology most often consists of a system of horoscopes that claim to explain aspects of a person's personality and predict future events in their life based on the positions of the sun, moon, and other planetary objects at the time of their birth.

• Many cultures have attached importance to astronomical events, and the Indians, Chinese, and Mayans developed elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations.

ASTROLOGY & SCIENCE

• Astrology has been rejected by the scientific community as having no validity or explanatory power for describing the universe

• Scientific testing of astrology found no evidence to support any of the premises or purported effects outlined in astrological traditions.

• There is no proposed mechanism of action by which the positions and motions of stars and planets could affect people and events on Earth that does not contradict well understood, basic aspects of biology and physics.

• Yet still, many people follow astrology in their own lives.

ASTROLOGY IN LITERATURE

• Astrological references appear in literature in the works of poets such as:

• Dante Alighieri• Geoffrey Chaucer• Christopher Marlowe• William Shakespeare• And, of course, John Gardener’s Grendel

THE ZODIAC

• The zodiac, or "circle of animals" is a zone or belt in space projected onto the celestial sphere through which, from our viewpoint, the planets move.

• A symbolic geometric construction around 15 to 18 degrees wide, it is divided into 12 signs, each of 30 degrees longitude (making 360 degrees in all), with the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun, as its middle line. The tropical zodiac used by most Western astrologers has its beginning at the exact moment that the Sun crosses the celestial equator and enters the zodiacal sign of Aries.

THE ASTROLOGICAL CYCLE

• The astrological cycle comprises twelve signs, each associated with earth’s position in space relative to the sun and other celestial bodies.

• The cycle begins in March/April, with Aries—the Ram—and ends in February/March, with Pisces—the Fish.

• Each of the signs is represented by a symbol, and those born under a particular sign are said to exhibit some common personality traits.

ASTROLOGICAL CHART

GRENDEL

• John Gardner weaves astrological symbolism into each chapter, following the annual cycle from Aries to Pisces.

• For example, the first chapter contains a ram, the symbol for Aries.

• Characters or situations exhibit traits common to each sign… our goal is analyze the effect this structure has on the story.

CHAPTER 1 ARIES: THE RAM

• March 21- April 20

• Confident• Leaders• Very determined• Egoistic• Ambitious• Brave• Acts before thinking

CHAPTER 2TAURUS: BULL

• April 21-May 21

• Objective• Concrete• Usually calm• Narrow-minded• Stubborn• Exits alone

CHAPTER 3GEMINI: TWIN LAMBS

• May 22-June 21

• Versatile• Superficial• Quick-witted• Good with words• Dual-natured

CHAPTER 4CANCER: CRAB

• June 22-July 22

• Creative• Close to family• Nourishing

CHAPTER 5LEO: LION

• July 23- August 22

• Dramatic• Cheerful• Resilient

CHAPTER 6VIRGO: VIRGINS

• August 23-September 23

• Studious• Knowledge-seeking• Endowed with common sense• Can exchange old ideas for new ones

CHAPTER 7LIBRA: SCALE

• September 24-October 23

• Prefers peaceful environment• Displays balanced personalities• Acts as conciliator

CHAPTER 8SCORPIO: SCORPION

• October 24-November 22

• Persistent• Fights for beliefs• Drifts toward “dark side”

CHAPTER 9SAGITTARIUS: ARCHER

• November 23-December 21

• Adventurous• Impassioned• Spontaneous• Open-minded but devoutly religious

CHAPTER 10CAPRICORN: HORNED GOAT

• December 22- January 20

• Determined• Displays sense of obligation to care for dependents• Somewhat pessimistic

CHAPTER 11AQUARIUS: WATER BEARER

• January 21-February 19

• Self-centered• Somewhat aloof• Focuses on individuality rather than being part of a group

CHAPTER 12PISCES: FISH

• February 20- March 20

• Sensitive and helpful• Intuitive• Not easily deceived• Focused on connectedness rather than individuality

GROUP CHALLENGE

• Consider the ram in chapter 1 of Grendel.

• Analyze the ram’s presence in terms of the Zodiac & add evidence/ explanations to your chart.

• How does the ram affect literary elements/ techniques in chapter 1?

• Continue this for the remaining chapters of the novel.