Medieval literature

In the Middle Ages, the use of propaganda was paramount to how leaders would convince the people to join the bandwagon of their various doctrines. “‘Pagans are wrong: Christians are right indeed. Evil example will never come of me,’” (79). This excerpt from the Song of Roland is an exemplary citation of the content that would have been deemed worthy of a chanson de geste. This type of poetry is that of the French, where it was their goal to bolster their troops to defeat the pagans in the…

As stated in the foreword of Mlajov’s Selection from Chrétien of Troyes, Lancelot, stories of courtly love were told to highlight the journey of a knight’s quest toward an “unattainable” woman. With the rise of this type of secular literature, it was common for the aristocracy of society to wish to produce their own tales. Marie of Champagne wished to modify older, traditional stories of a young knight’s legendary quest for a queen by elaborating them with the values of chivalry and courtly love…

present a hero and share some similarities and differences. Each text was written during different time periods therefore each society having different morals and views which reflects what they defined a hero to be at that time in history. In the medieval period a hero had more of a physical meaning, normally a hero was known to be strong and courageous like a warrior. Men were always known to be the head of their families and decision makers while a women's…

In medieval literature there are many types of themes. Some of them are knightly behavior, role/responsibility of women, and the role of religion. One of the first things that is important in medieval literature is the knightly behavior. In just about everything we have read there has been some type of knightly behavior. In “Sir Gawain”, there was a great multitude of knightly behavior. Sir Gawain shows the most knightly behavior. He stood in for King Arthur to cut the Green Knight’s head…

In Bailey’s article, he describes superstition according to early Christian and medieval writers as “a serious error” (Bailey, pg. 633). Through a theological lens, superstition was seen as religion that was “observed beyond proper measure” (Bailey, pg. 633). In other words, there was a great fear of actions that worshiped or had an association with demons. In addition, there was a belief that charms and spells, despite being corrupted means, would have the efficacy to end in real results. In…

from the twelfth century on to state in various ways some of the issues that then seemed currently important” (Silverstein 260). This type of literature introduces the romance through the courtly love and the chivalry. The story is based on motifs from Celtic tradition, folklore and popular mythology and lastly its antecedent of chivalresque French literature. Recent studies have indicated the need for analyzing Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to elaborate its own symbolism. However, a major…

The fabliau genre has been a long-standing tradition in medieval writing. However, because of the reoccurring characteristics of the fabliau, it is a genre that is viewed as one-sided. Because of this, the fabliau genre is most often compared to and associated with the courtly love genre of writing during that time. Writers and poets of similar professional standing wrote both genres and both styles of writing were intended to be read by a similar audience. French writers in both genres…

The Medieval Ages has been commonly depicted as a gruesome time in European History earning its popular name of The Dark Ages. The Medieval Ages owns characteristics earning its name of The Dark Ages, but the Medieval Ages brought forth much more. Every era holds its darkness, why is history neglecting the good of the Medieval Ages, the light? This era is underestimated. If the Medieval Ages were so dark with no significance, why would it be such a popular topic to this day? Why study it, why…

The Light or Dark Ages? The Middle Ages of Medieval Europe is well known for being called the “Dark Ages”. Why? Diseases, invasions, and continuous wars contributed to the “dark” nickname that the Middle Ages have become known for. The fall of Rome during 400 A.D. to 500 A.D. led to the Middle Ages. When Rome fell, Europe was thrown into much disorder and chaos therefore leading to the nickname of the “Dark Ages”. Some people wonder if the Middle Ages deserve to be called the “Dark Ages” or not.…

collapse of the feudal system A picturesques knight in shining armor chivalrously protects nobles and their land that has been given to them, which is being farmed by serfs . At its simplest the feudal system can be seen as the levels of hierarchy in Medieval Europe that revolved around land, labor, and protection. Starting in the 9th century, Feudalism created a prosperous society full of great cultural achievements. Although the feudal system’s decline is still controversial amongst…