Tuesday, Sept 4
by Nicholas Fabian (10:50)
When we started class we went over attendance, the role, the usual business. We immediately dove into the material for the day. We are now moving into the Anglo Norman period in Britain’s history, this was after the Norman invasion of 1066 in which William I took over. The period lasted from the date of the Norman Invasion, 1066, until the late 1200’s. As with most dramatic change of peoples came a change in the culture in Britain. William I instituted a feudal system in that essentially gave ownership of all land to the king. He then gives some to the Nobility in exchange for service, they give it to various lords and knights, who pledge service and honor, this continues on until it reaches the peasantry.
Along with this new system of land ownership the Anglo Norman culture also puts a great deal of emphasis on record keeping. They used the Domesday Book to keep record of the people and lands in Britain, a sign of a more literate society, at least in the nobility.
During this time there was also the creation of guilds, groups of merchants who would band together in a way, this becomes much more important later in the medieval period.
Also, during this time period there was a deliberate effort to create a history for the descendants of the Normans that invaded, to create a sense of belonging to the country, and it is through this we have the creation of Arthurian legend. These legends generally attempt to connect the Anglo Norman period to the classical world of yore. With the time frame that is set up in these legends Arthur would most likely have been a Romanized Celt, yet the stories and legends depict him much like the people who wrote about him. There is no substantial evidence that there was ever any historical figure that is his inspiration. Much of the Arthurian tales fall into two categories, historical writing or literature. The historic chronicles tend to show him more as a great leader, someone who went and conquered parts of continental Europe, whereas the literary tales show more of his actual court.
This brings us to what kinds of stories we discussed in class, the Romance; we talked about what the general definition of a Romance was, or lack thereof. Though there are a few things that lend it to letting a story from this time period to be classified as such, written in the vernacular vs. Latin, written more for the consumption of the layperson rather than the clergy, and that it usually centers on a knight engaged in “Courtly Love”. These types of stories originated in France but migrated into England where they had a great impact on Arthurian legend.
When then discussed Marie de France and two of her works, the first being “Lanval.” We discussed how it showed Arthur’s court as “not being all it was cracked up to be,” as Lanval is forgotten by the king and looked down upon by the other knights in the kingdom. We also talked about how in the society at this point in time, those at the top, the lords, nobility and knights were encouraged to be generous with what they had, to share it with those beneath them. Lanval, due to the fact that he is not remembered by the king for his good works, has his “fairy lover” great wealth and fortune in order to be able to give generously, which he then proceeds to do.
We also discussed how the condition in which the “fairy lover” gives Lanval his wealth, gifts, and love, that he must never reveal her existence to anyone lest she forsake him. This as we talked about is a reflection of the idea of courtly love at the time, it was not something to talk about, and it was generally something you kept hidden and discreet. It also shows that having s courtly love such as this was paramount to having another lord to serve. The knights in these stories do not expect rewards or love given openly; they serve their love with nothing expected back. So it only makes sense, that when Guinevere tries to get Lanval to sleep with her he rejects her and defends his love, as him engaging with another woman would be an act of betrayal against his fairy lover. In the end, even though he has betrayed her in a way by revealing her to others she ultimately forgives him and they both leave to go to Avalon. We looked at this ending as being critical of Arthur’s court as we see Lanval would rather leave with his lover than stay and serve Arthur.
Next we moved onto Bisclavret, also by Marie de France. We discussed that in the poem Marie starts off by giving us this false start of sorts by describing how horrible a creature a “garwolf” (werewolf) is, yet then says that the poem is about something different and changes the subject. We also discussed that this is later contradicted later on when Bisclavret is found by the king. Unnamed in this story, he acts much like a dog serving his master, much like a knight serves his lord or king. We also discussed how his wife betrayed him, what that means in terms of the societal implications, she by default also betrayed the people that Bisclavret. Another important societal aspect that we discussed is that when Bisclavet has his clothing returned he refuses to dress in front of the community. It is also interesting to note how his clothes define him; they make him who he is to everyone.
We åfinally talked about Thomas Malory’s “Morte d’Arthur,” one of the largest works that focuses on the Arthurian legend that chronicles his life from his humble beginnings to his death. It should be noted, as we talked about, that Malory wrote this account of the Arthurian legend in the 1400’s, at the end of the time of the Romance and at the time of the printing press. We talked specifically about two parts in the story, where Arthur pulls the sword from the stone and Lancelot’s betrayal of Arthur. In discussing the sword in the stone we discussed how the idea of divine right, the placement of power from God onto Arthur, and how that even as Arthur is the only one to be able to remove the sword he is still humble and patient in finding out if others could. It was also noted that it was the common people in the story who noticed and stated that it was God’s will that Arthur was able to remove the sword. Arthur, though now being King is still humble and respectful of his family, making Kay head of the court even though he is thoroughly lacking most any skill to do so.
In discussing Lancelot and his betrayal by having an affair with Guinevere we went back and discussed the idea of serving one’s lord and king, and by having this affair both Lancelot and Guinevere are betraying Arthur. Yet, we also discussed that in this act of betrayal he would be judged by the works he has done for Arthur, as being one of the best knights he has in terms of the acts he has accomplished for Arthur. A final note that was made by Dr. Seaman was that often in the story Malory, or the narrator would leave out detail and specifically mention that he had done so.
Terms:
Domesday Book- Record kept of English people and Land
Courtly Love- Love had between a knight and a “maiden” of some sort
Largesse- courtly generosity
Garwolf- werewolf.
Quotes:
“Lanval gave rich gifts/ Lanval ransomed prisoners/Lanval clothed minstrels/Lanval did great honor,” 209- 212
Bisclavret
“Now I’ll leave this topic set./ I want to tell you about Bisclavret.” (13-14)
“He will never make the least/Move to get dressed in front of you/ And change from the form of a beast.”
Thursday, Sept. 6
by Katelyn Bridges
Overview:
Thursday September 6th class began with a discussion regarding the gap between the recorded writings of the 1100’s and those of the 1300’s. We were prompted to consider what was happening during the 1200’s? Why do we have few recorded literary works from this era? During this era the orientation for writing was highly religious in purpose, not secular. This era also fell in a time of translation from Anglo-Norman language to Middle English, when people were getting away from the French vernacular.
Following this discussion, we did a short exercise where we compared wording in a Middle English translation of Chaucer’s “Complaint to His Purse,” with the modern translation of the same text. One student brought up the idea that it’s almost easier to understand the Middle English when reading it straight through, as opposed to dissecting each word.
We spent the duration of the class discussing our assigned reading for the day, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” We compared the author’s depiction of King Arthur’s court to the way they were portrayed in other literary works we have discussed thus far, such as “Lanval.” Arthur is in many ways all that we expect him to be. He is gracious and loyal. But he is also depicted much younger in this poem, perhaps in a time before he reaches the peak of his rule. He is depicted as very playful, as are many members of his court. However, we do get a sense that there is an underlying sense of danger beneath these games, a sense that comes to full fruition in the remainder of the poem. Guinevere, unlike any of the other works we’ve read thus far, is depicted as very beautiful. From the beginning, our attention is drawn to the Green Knight and the strange supernatural elements that surround him. However, the text also emphasizes his being elegant in shape and attractive. We discussed how with most texts of the time the evil characters were depicted in a very negative, disproportionate light, whereas the Green Knight is depicted as very appropriately proportionate. We highlighted elements of his behavior, namely his arrogance, expressed in line 220 when he greets Arthur’s court inappropriately asking “where is the governor of this crowd?”
We also highlighted Gawain’s presenting himself as the very least of the court, with a sense of false humility, knowing he is very well loved. We discussed the heavy emphasis on his faith, regarding his shield which bears on the outside a cross and on the inside a picture of Mary, to whom he prays to multiple times and by which his prayers are heard and answered. We directed our attention to Gawain’s Pentangle (lines 640-65) and further extrapolated the importance of his faith in the poem. This also influenced a conversation on the danger of temptation in the poem.
Temptation is a huge element in the poem, surrounding Lady Bertilak. However, the significance of this temptation is huge for Gawain because she is not just any lady, but the wife to his lord. We discussed how his resistance serves as a glimpse at his true honor. This discussion gave way to another topic, what saved Gawain from death? Was it the sash? Or was it the Green Knight, Bertilak himself? Gawain and ourselves as the reader are initially led to believe that it is indeed the sash that saves him from death, however we are later informed that Lord Bertilak saved him because he still honorable in coming to his death and his taking the sash was only for fear of losing his life. We wrapped up our discussion on Gawain by reflecting on what role his faith played in his taking the sash. We determined that the action of accepting the gift of the sash expressed his faith in the supernatural, the sash itself, and not his faith in God. By this, Gawain was ashamed and went home to the King’s court living in this shame.
At the end of class we discussed the larger context of the poem, framed by the line 1 which recalls the treachery and betrayal of Troy. The poem ends recalling this again, which brings the framework of the poem full-circle.
Noteworthy Quotes:
“Greeting none, but haughtily looking over their heads.
The first words he spoke, “Where is,” he demanded,
“The governor of this crowd?” (lines 223-225)
(expressive of the Green Knight’s arrogance)
“May God protect you” (line 2239) -ironic because Bertilak knows he has not put his faith in God, but instead the supernatural powers of the sash
“But because you wanted to live; so I blame you the less.” (line 2368) -Bertilak’s reasoning for not killing Gawain despite his dishonor
lines 2410-2424- Misogynistic outburst- reflective of view of women
Key Terms:
Translatio imperii– transition of rule (England is being put into the context of a long line of previous rulers and nations)
Preview of Week 4 (Sept 11, 13)
by Dr. Seaman
We settle into Middle English of the 14th century this week, after Marie in the 12th and Malory in the 15th centuries last Tuesday, followed by Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s introduction of the 14th century to us on Thursday.
Tuesday we will begin class by discussing Paper 1. Be sure to take a close look at the assignment sheet, here on the blog. Note, too, the sample topic description and sample paper formatting, etc., associated with the Paper 1 assignment sheet in the drop-down menu.
In class on Tuesday we will focus primarily on Sir Orfeo. Like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, it has some associations with the classical past, in this case through the poem’s being a loose retelling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. That said, the poem feels thoroughly medieval, very clearly a romance. Pay special attention to the source of the conflict in the poem as well as the details of how the hero is able to overcome the challenges. We will read another short poem from Chaucer (and consider the one you read in class Thursday, too, when we were focusing primarily on the language rather than the content and style of the poem.) You have a shortRAP and RAPQ for Tuesday, focusing on “Cultural Expression in the 14th Century.”
Thursday we will plunge into our multi-day discussion of Chaucer. We won’t be reading the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, so I will provide some background on that in class before we discuss one of the tales particularly beloved of modern readers, the fabliau The Miller’s Tale. Pay special attention to the ways the narrator describes different characters in his introduction of them early in the tale. And if, in the end, you’re wondering, “Wait, did what I think happened just happen?” the answer is “Yes!”