Medieval Literature Can Save your Life

http://www.lib.rochester.edu/Camelot/YEAMES.HTM

http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/SGGK.HTM

(The above picture, The Green Knight, is by Ian Brown, http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/images/ianb05.htm)

The above links are to a great site, The Camelot Project, hosted by the University of Rochester. The first is a link to a play based on the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; the second is a translation of same into readable prose from the 14th century poem of said tale.

The title of this post eludes to a challenge posed to us in this course by our fearless leader -- that being to create a teachable lesson on the material we have covered thus far. Iintrepid fellow knightS of the U-Shaped Table, Nancy and Sarah, have chosen this theme to illustrate the themes of these early masterpieces of English and the great value that they hold for us even today. Specifically, we will be talking about the theme of tolerance (or intolerance) of other cultures as presented in Aurthurian Legend and in Beowulf. We have read in this course that England was a mass menagerie of different peoples: the Celts, Picts, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Vikings (themselves Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedes) and eventually the Normans of France. How did all of these cultures -- many of whom took a "pillage first, ask questions later" approach to conquest -- manage to get along? How did they learn to deal with difference? The answers lie in the masterpieces of their combined language. English is a language that was and is a part of all of these cultures. How fitting, then, that it becomes the means of expression of these tales of welcoming (or hunting) the stranger.

In our lesson, we hope to draw parallels between these early struggles -- geographic, cultural, linguistic -- as represented in history and in literature, and the struggles of present-day students in an ever shrinking world. Nancy will engage them in an illustrated discussion of Beowulf, and just what exactly constitutes a "monster." Sarah will further the discussion by having the students act out the opening scene of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," where the title characters measure each other up in first impressions. Our lesson would conclude with an open discussion of other interpersonal themes in these stories: love triangles, honesty and loyalty, and vaulting ambition.

Some beleaguered students of history have argued that reading medieval stories can almost kill you. We endeavor to prove that they just might save your life!