2.  Written in 1971 by John Gardner, American novelist, essayist, literary critic and university professor  Grendel is a parallel novel  Also considered a philosophical novel (e.g., existentialism, solipsism, nihilism, etc.)  Each chapter focuses on a different astrological sign.

3.  Characterized by a sense of disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world.  “’The world is all pointless accident” (Gardner 28).  “One of the horses neighed and reared up, and for some crazy reason they took it for a sign” (27).

4.  from Latin solus, meaning "alone", and ipse, meaning "self“  the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist.  “I understood that, finally and absolutely, I alone exist. All the rest, I saw, is merely what pushes me, or what I push against…” (Gardner 22).

5.  from the Latin nihil, nothing  Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism, which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value.  The belief that traditional morals, ideas, beliefs, etc., have no worth or value  “I tried to tell her all that had happened, all that I’d come to understand: the meaningless objectness of the world, the universal bruteness” (Gardner 28).

6.  Taurus, the Bull. Taurus is determined, efficient, stubborn, cautious, placid, persistent, enduring, introverted, conservative, conventional, materialistic, security conscious, stable, industrious, dependable, and one generally having significant financial ability.  In what ways do we see this zodiac sign represented in chapter 2?  What is the significance of these depictions?