《Characteristics of Romance Literature.ppt》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Characteristics of Romance Literature.ppt（11页珍藏版）》请在三一办公上搜索。
1、Characteristics of Romance Literature,English IVMrs.Tomlin,What is a medieval romance?,A tale of high adventure.Can be a religious crusadea conquest for the knights liege lordor the rescue of a captive lady or any combination.,Characteristics,Idealizes the hero-knight and his noble(daring)deeds the
2、knights love for his lady(quest for love or adventure)settings of medieval romance tend to be imaginary and vague(faraway setting),The Romance Tradition,Earliest French romances date to the mid-12th century,c.1150-60 Earliest English romances date to c.1240 The earliest of these romances for a court
3、ly audience would have been in French.Anglo-Norman was the dominant literary language in England from 1066-1300.Finest English romances date to the 14th and 15th centuries,Characteristics cont.,Medieval romance derives mystery and suspense from supernatural elements Medieval romance uses concealed o
4、r disguised identity Daring deedsCodes of honor or chivalryLight hearted toneLoose structure,A Noble Hero-Knight,Birth of a great hero is shrouded in mystery He is reared away from his true home in ignorance of his real parents.For a time his true identity is unknownAfter meeting an extraordinary ch
5、allenge,he claims his right His triumph benefits his nation or group,Sir Gawainand the Green Knight,I.Manuscript,Written between 1375-1400Also contains Pearl,Patience,and Purity,II.Poetic form and devices,Alliterative RevivalBob and WheelBob:one line of two or three syllablesWheel:four three-stress
6、linesEntire structure rhymes=ababa,III.The Structure of the Poem,Three Gawains:Courteous and brave brother of Round TableFlawless exemplar of Christian chivalryFlawed everyman,IV.Departures from Romance,Hero is one of us,not superior to us/environmentGawain fails the test because he is human/sinfulRealism may result from 13th-14th century“penance campaigns,”new“moral psychology.”Mixture of romance and realism leaves the reader wondering what rules govern this world.,
