samedi 27 juillet 2013

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Although I must admit that I was initially drawn to look it up due to a particular movie featuring Sean Connery dressed like a christmas tree, I've since become somewhat intrigued by the rather strange tale.



Admittedly, I haven't finished reading the work itself, but I thought that it would be interesting to see any views or sources people here may have.



Things to ponder:



What earlier sources did the Pearl Poet (the author of the story) draw on?



What's the significance of the Green Knight? Is he the Devil? Or is he Christ? A Christian interpretation of the Islamic Al-Khidr? Or a creature of folklore? Why does he reside in a chapel, of all places, that is ominous and portent?



Is there any significance to Morgan le Fay's role, or is she just a plot device?



Was the Pearl Poet simply a skilled writer, who inserted all these ambiguities to create a fascinating tale?



Who WAS the Pearl Poet?



Clearly, the test of chivalry is at the center of the tale - I tend to favour the view of the tale as an allegory of Nature testing the limits chivalry. Perhaps the twist at the end alludes to a contemporary view that nature, while chaotic and tainted, is indeed part of Creation and an ally to man.



I suppose we will never know, but I would be interested to see what those with more knowledge than my self have to say.





via JREF Forum http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=262912&goto=newpost

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