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What is Romance?? Romance is a medieval
narrative work in verse, about the deeds of
knights. The name meant originally a work
written in a romance language (romance languages
are those derived from Latin). Notice that
romance does not corrispond to the Italian
Romanzo (which is called novel in modern
English). The great age of French romance is from
the 12th to the 13th century. English romances
appeared about one century later. Romance
is about the deeds of knights, so it involves
looking for adventures, fighting, duelling,
romantic (often adulterous) love, magic and
supernatural events, but also clothing, etiquette
for social intercourse (how to behave in the
feudal society ), how to be a loyal and brave
knight, the code of love rules a true lover
should know. In a word, romance represents the
body of social conventions that is called
chivalry, and which is the product of the feudal
aristocratic culture. It expresses the ethos of
that social class. Other social classes are never
important in romances (though their
representatives can appear as side characters).
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One of the characteristics of romance is that it
is more idealistic than realistic. We are given
ideals rather than real conditions of life. This
tendency to idealization made romance survive
beyond feudalism. Romance is a permanent genre in
literature and in fiction it reappears from time
to time in other forms. The genre we call
Fantasy is a form of romance (for ex. Stars
Wars).
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THE MATTER OF BRITAIN The Arthurian cycle is
often called the Matter of Britain, as opposed to
the Matter of France (which is about Charlemagne,
the paladins, Roland etc.) As it happens in most
legends, also in the case of king Arthur there
could be some historical facts which were then
developed and transformed (as frequently happens
in oral cultures). The origins can be traced to
the time of the Anglo-Saxon invasions. The story
of King Arthur is probably Welsh. It seems that
there was a leader called Arturus that led the
Romanized Celts against the invaders. Geoffrey of
Monmouth, one of the first English historians,
talks about King Arthur in his Historia Regum
Britanniae. The story became very popular and
spread in other European countries. In France,
Chretien the Troyes wrote the romances Lancelot
and Perceval (and others connected to the same
cycle) in the XII century. In England there was
a revival of the Arthurian cycle at the time of
king Edward III (1327-1377 the king who started
the 100 years war and that developed in England
the concept of chivalry).
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
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The Manuscript of Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight
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How it begins
Since the siege and the assault was ceased at
Troy, The walls breached and burnt down to
brands and ashes, The knight that had knotted
the nets of deceit Was impeached for his
perfidy, proven most true. It was high-born
Aeneas and his haughty race 5 That since
prevailed over provinces, and proudly reigned
Over well-nigh all the wealth of the West Isles.
Great Romulus to Rome repairs in haste With
boast and with bravery builds he that city And
names it with his own name, that it now bears. 10
Ticius to Tuscany, and towers raises, Langobard
to Lombardy lays out homes, And far over the
French Sea, Felix Brutus On many broad hills and
high Britain he sets, most fair. 15 Where war
and wrack and wonder By shifts have sojourned
there, And bliss by turns with blunder In that
lands lot had share.
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Plot Overview
During a New Year's Eve feast at King Arthurs
court, a strange figure, the Green Knight,
enters. He challenges the King or any other
brave representative, to a game. The Green Knight
will allow the knight who accepts the challenge
to strike him with his own axe, on condition that
the challenger find him in exactly one year and
one day, so that he can return the blow.
Everyone hesitates to respond, but when the Green
Knight mocks Arthur's silence, the King steps
forward to take the challenge. As soon as Arthur
grips the Green Knight's axe, Sir Gawain leaps up
and asks to take the challenge himself. He takes
hold of the axe and, in one deadly blow, cuts off
the knight's head. To the amazement of the court,
the headless Green Knight picks up his severed
head. Before riding away, the head repeats the
terms of the pact, reminding the young Gawain to
seek him in a year and a day at the Green Chapel.
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Time passes, and autumn arrives. On the Day of
All Saints, Gawain prepares to leave Camelot and
find the Green Knight. He puts on his best
armour, mounts his horse, Gringolet, and starts
off toward North Wales, traveling through the
wilderness of northwest Britain. Gawain
encounters all sorts of beasts, suffers from
hunger and cold, and grows more and more
desperate as the days pass.
On Christmas Day, Gawain prays to find a place
to hear Mass, then looks up and sees a castle in
the distance. The lord of the castle welcomes
Gawain warmly, introducing him to his lady and to
an old woman who sits beside her. For sport, the
host strikes a deal with Gawain the host will go
out hunting every day, and when he returns in the
evening, he will exchange his winnings for
anything Gawain has managed to acquire by staying
at the castle.
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The first day, the lord hunts a herd of does,
while Gawain sleeps late. On the morning of the
first day, the lord's wife sneaks into Gawain's
chamber and tries to seduce him. Gawain refuses,
but before she leaves she claims one kiss from
him. That evening, when the host gives Gawain
the venison he has captured, Gawain kisses him,
since he has had one kiss from the lady. The
second day, the lord hunts a wild boar. The lady
again enters Gawain's chambers, and this time she
kisses Gawain twice. That evening, Gawain gives
the host two kisses.
The third day, the lord hunts a fox, and the lady
kisses Gawain three times. She also asks him for
a love token. Gawain refuses to give her anything
and refuses to take anything from her, until the
lady mentions her girdle. The green silk girdle
she wears around her waist, the lady says, has
the magical ability to protect the person who
wears it from death. Gawain accepts the girdle,
but when it comes time to exchange his winnings
with the host, Gawain gives the three kisses but
does not mention the lady's green girdle. The
host gives Gawain the fox skin he won that day,
and they all go to bed. Gawain must leave for the
Green Chapel the following morning to find the
Green Knight.
The lady's visit to Sir Gawain (BL Cotton Nero
A.x.)
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New Year's Day arrives, and Gawain dons his
armor, including the girdle, then sets off with
Gringolet to seek the Green Knight. A guide
accompanies him. They come to a kind of crevice
in the rock, visible through the tall grasses. It
is the Green Chapel.
Gawain calls out, and the Green Knight emerges to
greet him. To fulfill the terms of the contract,
Gawain presents his neck to the Green Knight, who
proceeds to feign two blows. On the third blow,
the Green Knight scratches Gawain's neck, drawing
blood. Angered, Gawain shouts that their contract
has been met, but the Green Knight merely
laughs. The Green Knight reveals his name,
Bertilak, and explains that he is the host of the
castle where Gawain stayed. Because Gawain did
not honestly exchange all of his winnings on the
third day, Bertilak drew blood on his third blow.
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Nevertheless, Gawain has proven himself a worthy
knight, without equal in all the land. When
Gawain questions Bertilak further, Bertilak
explains that the old woman at the castle is
really Morgan le Fay, Gawain's aunt and King
Arthur's half sister.
She sent the Green Knight on his original errand
and used her magic to change Bertilak's
appearance. Relieved to be alive but feeling
guilty about his sinful failure to tell the whole
truth, Gawain wears the girdle on his arm as a
reminder of his own failure. He returns to
Arthur's court, where all the knights join
Gawain, wearing girdles on their arms to show
their support.
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is considered a
bridge between Anglo-Saxon and Anglo- Norman
literature because of its combination of old and
new elements, in terms of content and form.
CONTENT The Beheading connected to the cycle of
the seasons. In ancient fertility rites, the old
king was symbolically beheaded by the new king.
The Quest. As in most romances, the heros
action takes the form of a quest. Gawain travels
to find the Green Chapel. The Temptation. The
hero must prove his worth by resisting temptation
(the Lady of the Castle tries to seduce him).
The Trial. The hero stands a trial and passes it
(the three blows of the axe).

• FORM
• The language a dialect of Middle English
• The structure the work is divided into four
  parts, called fits, corresponding to the four
  seasons of the year. Each fit is divided into
  stanzas, each made of three parts
• The Stock A long stanza with a variable number
  of unrhymed, alliterative tetrameters,
  reminiscent of Anglo-Saxon poetry (for ex.
  Beowulf)
• The Bob a line of two words only
• The Wheel a quartrain with alternate rhymes
  (abab.)

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Influence of French Romance. Allegory and
moralism are to be found in connection with the
figure of Gawain. He embodies the values of
chivalry respect for the woman, fidelity to his
own word, the sacred right of hospitality etc.
Primitive sources are to be retraced mostly in
connection with the figure of the Green Knight.
The theme of the behading is connected with
ancient fertility rites. The colour green
suggests a Celtic origin. The Green Chapel (just
a cave under a hill) looks very much like a
Celtic place of worship.
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Speaking exercise in the next slides, you will
find images relating to the main episodes of Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight. Use them as prompts
they will help you to remember the story and to
tell it.
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