Editing Grendel (section)

===Narrative role===
[[J. R. R. Tolkien]] (1936) argues for the importance of Grendel's role in the poem as an "eminently suitable beginning" that sets the stage for Beowulf's fight with the dragon: "Triumph over the lesser and more nearly human is cancelled by defeat before the older and more elemental." Tolkien argues that "the evil spirits took visible shape" in the characters of Grendel and the dragon; however, the author's concern is focused on Beowulf.{{sfn|Tolkien|1936|p=128}} Tolkien's essay was the first work of scholarship in which [[Anglo-Saxon literature]] was seriously examined on its literary merits – not just for scholarship about the origins of the English language, or what historical information could be gleaned from the text, as was common in the 19th century.{{sfn|Tolkien|2014}}