Unit 5: From Decay to Rebirth The Middle Ages: A.D. 450-1300

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Unit 5 From Decay to RebirthThe Middle Ages
A.D. 450-1300

• The Lay of the Werewolf

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Medieval Romance Saga

• A romance is a narrative that tells of strange,
  sometimes supernatural, events in exotic
  settings.
• In the Middle Ages, the term referred to the
  tales that depicted the heroic deeds and courtly
  love of noble knights and ladies.
• Today, the genre has expanded to include any work
  that features idealized characters in an exotic
  setting, particularly one that focuses on a
  struggle between good and evil.

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Medieval Romance Saga(contd)

• Chivalry is the real core of the medieval
  romance.
• Courtly love is an important element of chivalry
  for this reason, romance sagas are sometimes
  known as chivalric romances or courtly romances.
• The main characters of the romance saga were
  usually kings, knights or a brave warrior who
  follows the chivalric code of behavior values
  of courage, virtue, piety, loyalty to a ruler,
  and the idealized love of a noble lady.

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Medieval Romance Saga

• The Medieval Romance Saga is characterized by the
  key features
• Romance Hero
• A Heroic Quest
• Supernatural Elements
• Symbols and Archetypes
• Examples of Medieval Romance Sagas The Legend
  of King Arthur, and Sir Gawain and the Green
  Knight.

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Focus Questions

• How are the characteristics of a legend similar
  to the characteristics of an epic?
• What makes the two genres different?

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Author backgroundMarie de France

• Works were crucial to the development of short
  stories.
• Was well-educated, and a member of nobility.
• Works combined elements of the classical,
  Christian, and Celtic traditions (a hero, who
  travels to a magical land, and learns the secrets
  of Christianity).
• Works were often a radical departure from the
  time period. Her works often promoted that a man
  and woman should marry because of genuine love
  versus an arrangement based on politics and
  economics.

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Literary elements (revisited)

• Archetypes details, plot patterns, character
  types, or themes that appear in the literature of
  many different cultures.
• Examples of archetypes might be
• 1. A quest the pursuit of someone or something
  of great importance.
• 2. Disguised identity Characters use
  disguises, transformations, and tricks to hide
  their true identities.

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Literary Elements (revisited)

• Symbols a person, a place, an animal, or an
  object that has its own meaning but also suggests
  a larger meaning.
• Example a rose may represent love.
• In medieval literature, the entire story centers
  on a symbol.

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The Lay of the WerewolfEssential Questions

• Why have people chosen the wolf as the form that
  evil humans often take when they turn into
  beasts?
• Based on the two types of Archetypes mentioned,
  what type is this short story?