medieval literature overview

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A Study of The Canterbury Tales and

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight



Table of ContentsThe Journey Begins . . .

England in the Middle Ages

Focus question

Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales

Travelers to Canterbury

Chaucer¶s Middle Ages Population


The Green KnightSir Gawain

Works Cited



The Journey Begins . . .

In October 1066,

a daylong battle

near Hastings, England,

changed the course of history.



William the Conqueror wins the Battle of

Hastings.

The FRENCH arrive! (in England)(and they win)

(and now they rule)

(and everyone, they must speak theFrench)



England in the Middle AgesLower, middle, and upper-middle

classes developed in the cities.



England in the Middle AgesThe Crusades extended from 1095-

1270.

They brought contact with Easternmathematics, astronomy, architecture, and

crafts.



England in the Middle AgesThe Magna-Carta made an inroad into

unrestrained royal power. Some say it

forms the basis for constitutionalgovernment.



England in the Middle AgesThe Hundred Years¶ War (1337-1453)

was the first national war waged by

England.



England in the Middle AgesThe Black Death (1348-1349) brought

the end of the Middle Ages.

Fleas on ratscarried the

bubonic plaguewhich killed

thousands ofpeople. in Europe.



England in the Middle AgesFeudalism replaced the Nordic social

system.

Most men are serfs.Men above the serf class serve in the

military²Knighthood.

Women had no political rights.

Chivalry and courtly love served as the

system of social codes



How do the writings of the

Middle Ages represent thelives, loves, loyalties, and

humor of humanity?

Discover the answer by reading

The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.



Geoffrey Chaucer

c. 1343-1400Considered the father of English poetry

Wrote in the vernacular

Served as a soldier, government servant, and

member of ParliamentIntroduced iambic pentameter

First writer buried in Westminster Abbey

Learn more about Chaucer. Go to. . .

http://www.unc.edu/depts/chaucer/index.html



The Canterbury Tales:

Snapshot of an AgeIt frames a story of characters on a religiouspilgrimage to Canterbury.

The characters are a concise portrait of anentire nation.

The pilgrimage is a quest narrative thatmoves from images of spring and awakeningto penance, death, and eternal life.

The characters tell stories that reflect³everyman´ in the universal pilgrimage of life.



Chaucer¶s Snapshot of the

Middle Ages Population



Characters from The

Canterbury Tales

Knight

Squire

Ruling Class

Monk Friar

Prioress Parson

Summer Pardoner

Clergy Class

Middle

Class

Merchant Reeve

Franklin Doctor

Oxford Student Wife of Bath

Sergeant-at-Law

Guildsmen

Cook Manciple

Peasant

Class

TradeClass

Miller Plowman

Skipper Yeoman



unprovoked and violent fighting

mystical place and time (theDark Ages)

supernatural elements, andmagical powers from the paganworld

hero who is on a nobleadventure or quest

loose, episodic structureelements of courtly love

ideals of chivalry

time frame of a year and a day

Conventions of Medieval Romance



The Green KnightHe challenges KingArthur¶s knights to aNew Year¶s game.

The Green Knightwants to exchange³one blow for another.´

The stranger will

stand for the first blowif the other knight willagree to have his turnin a year and a day.



Sir GawainSir Gawain accepts the GreenKnight¶s challenge.

He honors his word and searchesfor the knight¶s Green Chapel.

Gawain finds a lord and his ladyon his quest who offer himshelter on Christmas day.

The lord has the lady temptSir Gawain three times on the rulesof courtly love.

Gawain resists--all but oneadvance.

The Green Knight reveals himself to be the lord and spares Gawainfor his honesty.



Chivalric Code and Introduction

to Courtly Love Chivalry is from the French word, c hevalier , meaninghorseman, or knight.

The chivalric code influenced the formation of religious military orders during the period of theCrusades. The now famous Knights Templar areamong the noted knights. There were many others.

During the later middle ages, chivalry had become

largely as system of etiquette and the knights asource of entertainment during tournaments ± whichthemselves gradually became less threatening to theparticipants.



Chivalric Code and Introduction

to Courtly Love The chivalric code

combined Christian virtues

with military virtues:Temperance, Fortitude,Prudence and Justice

Faith, Hope, Charity

Valor and strength in battle

Loyalty to God and King

Courtesy towards enemiesGenerosity towards the sick,women, widows and theoppressed

Courtly Love*



What happened to Chivalry?

Finally, knighthood became simply an honor,

and those eligible for it today can skip the

military bit.

Today, knights can be just regular people

who have done something special. The

honor is used for notable artists and other

doers of good deeds.Knighted folks include: Paul McCartney,

Laurence Olivier, and former New York

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.




Have the rules of love changed?The Art of Courtly Love ( twelfth century

document) listed several rules of love:

No one can be bound by double love.The easy attainment of love makes it of

little value. Difficulty of attainment makes it

prized

A new love puts flight to an old one.

If love diminishes, it quickly fails and rarely

revives



April

Très Riches Heures

Courtly

Love

C.S. Lewis:

³Humility,

Courtesy,

Adultery

and the

Religion of Love´



The "rules" for this game are roughly:

worship of thechosen lady

declaration of

passionate devotion

virtuous rejectionby the lady

renewed wooing

with oaths of eternal fealty

moans of approachingdeath from unsatisfieddesire

heroic deeds of valorwhich win the lady'sheart

consummation of thesecret love

endless adventuresand subterfuges

tragic end



T heater Mystery Plays andMiracle Plays: Biblestories and lives of the

SaintsMorality Plays:Didactic allegories,such as E veryman

Passion Plays:Depicting the eventsrelating to the trial,crucifixion, andresurrection of JesusChrist.



narrative poem

(i.e., tells a story)

intended to be

sung

no known author

passed along

orally

four-line stanzas

repeated key

phrases OR

regularly repeated

section

dialogue

Folk Ballads



³B

arbara Allen´There are HUNDREDS of versions of the folk

ballad Barbara Allen that dates from

Medieval England.Most versions can be summarized thus:

a young man is dying of unrequited love for

Barbara Allen;she is called to his deathbed but all she cansay is, 'Young man, I think you're dying.'When he dies, she is stricken with grief anddi s s n aft r. ft n a riar r ws fr m

FOLK BALLADS ´Barbara Allenµ



³B

arbara Allen´When he dies, she is stricken with grief and

dies soon after. Often, a briar grows from

her grave and a rose from his, until theygrow together.

The famous refrain:

Young man, I think youre dyingAdieu, adieu, my dear friends all,

And be kind to Barbara Allanhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRgH_0zxqQE&feature=related

Johnny Cash version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD8N-SzrXjQ

FOLK BALLADS ´Barbara Allenµ -- continued



Current ConnectionsThe English fiction

writer Dorothy L.

Sayers used a

phrase from some

variants for the title

Strong Poison, a

murder mystery

about a man

apparently

murdered by his

lover.

In the early 1960s

Bob Dylan

borrowed the lyricstructure of ³Lord

Randall´ for his

song " A Hard

Rain's A-Gonna

Fall".http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=gKmxEJLcsIQ



DI ALECT dialect = the

specific form of a

language used bya speech

community

Scottish dialectBORDER R AIDS

³Twa Corbies´http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

QSL0QO54JpM

Sung

http://www.youtube.com/wat

ch?v=w-

7I8RlrnTE&feature=relate

d



narrative poem

(i.e., tells a story)

intended to be

sung

no known author

passed along

orally

four-line stanzas

repeated key

phrases OR

regularly repeated

section

dialogue

Folk Ballads



Ballad of the Green Berets

F ighting soldiers from the sky

F earless men who jump and die

Men who mean just what they say

The brave men of the Green Beret

Silver wings upon their chest

These are men, America's best

One hundred men we'll test today

But only three win the Green Beret http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLcoA8El3mI



Trained to live, off nature's land Trained in combat, hand to hand

Men who fight by night and day

Courage deep, from the Green Beret

Silver wings upon their chest These are men, America's best One hundred men we'll test today

But only three win the Green Beret



Back at home a young wife waits

Her Green Beret has met his fate

He has died for those oppressed Leaving her this last request

Put silver wings on my son's chest

Make him one of America's best

He'll be a man they'll test one day

Have him win the Green Beret



In the middle of the earth in the land of the Shirelives a brave little hobbit whom we all admire. With his long wooden pipe,fuzzy, woolly toes,he lives in a hobbit-hole and everybody knows him

Bilbo! Bilbo! Bilbo BagginsHe's only three feet tallBilbo! Bilbo! Bilbo BagginsThe bravest little hobbit of them all

Now hobbits are a peace-lovin' folks you knowThey don't like to hurry and they t ake things slow

They don't like to travel away from homeThey just want to eat and be left aloneBut one day Bilbo was asked to goon a big adventure to the caves below,to help some dwarves get back their goldthat was stolen by a dragon in the days of old.


Well he fought with the goblins!He battled a troll!!He riddled with Gollum!!!A magic ring he stole!!!!He was chased by wolves!!!!!Lost in the forest!!!!!!Escaped in a barr el from the elf-king's halls!!!!!!!

Bilbo! Bilbo! Bilbo BagginsThe bravest little hobbit of them all

Now he's back in his hole in the land of the Shire,that brave little hobbit whom we all admire, just a-sittin' on a treasu re of silver and golda-puffin' on his pipe in his hobbit-hole.




³Barbara Allen´

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