Donald Howard was a professor of English at Stanford until 1977. He went on to study medieval tradition which led him to write his first book, The Three Temptations; Medieval Man in Search of the World. This is an analysis of his critical study of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
In the article, Donald Howard discusses the symmetry and parallelism found throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He notes that the symbols inside the poem are defined by the author and are not left to be interpreted by the reader. Throughout the book there are things arranged in pairs, Howard believes that this concept is overlooked by critics because they are integrated within the “events and themes” of the poem (Howard). The relationship between the pairs are important as “each of them contrasts in its own way” and contributes to the atmosphere of the poem (Howard). Howard takes time to explain how the shield and girdle take on a different meaning when they are examined together. The parallel between the two items emphasizes the symmetry between the different sections and creates a “dream-like aura of familiarity” in the last sequence (Howard). Howard’s thesis is that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s “most protracted structural parallel depends upon the juxtaposition of two symbols, the shield and the girdle” (Howard). He first supports his thesis by demonstrating where the parallelism is found and how it is used. When Gawain first approaches Bertilak’s castle the passage ends “with the lines on the pentangle shield” (Howard). Then when Gawain begins his journey to the Green Chapel, rather than mentioning the shield again, “the passage …show more content…
Although the author is unknown, the poem was found in a manuscript with three other poems presumably written by the same author. As a medieval romance, the poem focuses on Sir Gawain’s adventure as he is challenged by a mysterious
In the article, Donald Howard discusses the symmetry and parallelism found throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He notes that the symbols inside the poem are defined by the author and are not left to be interpreted by the reader. Throughout the book there are things arranged in pairs, Howard believes that this concept is overlooked by critics because they are integrated within the “events and themes” of the poem (Howard). The relationship between the pairs are important as “each of them contrasts in its own way” and contributes to the atmosphere of the poem (Howard). Howard takes time to explain how the shield and girdle take on a different meaning when they are examined together. The parallel between the two items emphasizes the symmetry between the different sections and creates a “dream-like aura of familiarity” in the last sequence (Howard). Howard’s thesis is that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s “most protracted structural parallel depends upon the juxtaposition of two symbols, the shield and the girdle” (Howard). He first supports his thesis by demonstrating where the parallelism is found and how it is used. When Gawain first approaches Bertilak’s castle the passage ends “with the lines on the pentangle shield” (Howard). Then when Gawain begins his journey to the Green Chapel, rather than mentioning the shield again, “the passage …show more content…
Although the author is unknown, the poem was found in a manuscript with three other poems presumably written by the same author. As a medieval romance, the poem focuses on Sir Gawain’s adventure as he is challenged by a mysterious