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When the same scenes are described in different ways, many things inevitably change. As each writer has his/her own idea about how the scenes should look on paper, the results may differ significantly. In this essay two works are compared – the epic Beowulf and John Gardner's novel Grendel. The differences between them arise because the authors concentrate on different details. As a result of the lack/presence of suspense, the choice of the point of view, and the choice between ‘telling' and ‘showing', these two works differ.
In the original Beowulf, the hero's fight with Grendel lacks suspense. Throughout the whole scene the author makes sure the readers know how the battle will end – with Grendel's doom. In the following examples, he repeats the same message in different ways:
• "Close to the building crept the slayer,
Doomed to misery."
• "But Wyrd had otherwise willed his doom;
Never again should he get a victim
After that night."
• "But a woeful end awaited the......

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Approximate Word Count: 664
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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