About... Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is thought to have been written by the “Pearl Poet” or the “Gawain Poet”. This is because they do not actually know who wrote this poem but the same author also wrote the poem Pearl. The author, though unknown, has been known to kind of follow the Ricardian Poets writing style. The author is thought to be a male because of the way that the story is depicted.
This poem is written in a way that feels like the story is being told by someone to you. It is strongly related to Arthurian romance as well as the latest fashions and symbols of this time period. The table that is in the story that they sit around is definitely related to the round knights table. Themes in this story are knighthood with the tests that he is put through. Another one is courtly love. This is a theme that really needs to be paid attention to because it portrays it in a way that is not really portrayed at this time. It is not chaste and pure like it is supposed to be, instead it is full of deceit. In this story, you need to pay attention to the types of quests that the knight goes on. Ask yourself ‘Why hunting?’ while you read this. Also pay attention to what types of animals that he hunts on his quests. What significance do they have to what is happening in the rest of the story? Why that specific number of kisses? All of these tests go hand in hand and need to be payed attention to. Besides these questions, you should ask yourself was Sir Gawain being knightly by doing what the queen wanted or was he going against the code of chivalry? STudy GuideThere's a study guide for "Lanval" and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight due. See CSC Online to access it.
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