Question

In Beowulf, the narrator says that few people mourned Grendel's death. This is an example of ____, a common literary trope in Old English and Old Norse literature.

1) Alliteration
2) Foreshadowing
3) Hyperbole
4) Litotes

Answer 1

In 'Beowulf', the narrator's mention that few people mourned Grendel's death is an example of litotes, an understated way of expressing a point by negating its opposite, which is common in Old English literature.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Beowulf, the statement that few people mourned Grendel's death is an example of litotes, a common literary trope in Old English and Old Norse literature. Litotes is a figure of speech that involves making an understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, stating a positive by negating its opposite. It is often used to convey a thought in a more subtle way or to highlight contrast. The lack of mourning for Grendel, a monster who terrorized the Danes, is an understatement since it's expected that not only would few people mourn him, but they would likely feel relief or even joy at his death. This use of litotes helps to emphasize the disdain the characters in the poem feel toward Grendel while still observing the formality of noting someone's passing.