Sir Gawain: All Good Things

In class Thursday, a brief discussion highlighted the influence of Norman conquest on the English Language. I first found the distinction between "British" and "English," highlighted on the first page of the introduction very interesting, and also imperative in understanding the development of what we today understand as the English language. Further, I was intrigued by the details surrounding the birth of feudalism in England following the Norman Conquest. It was surprising to me that many of the characteristics associated with early English royalty were in fact a product of Norman influence. William the Conquerer's "Domesday Book" ultimately led to the feudal system that would define the English middle ages. Further, the development of record-keeping would eventually lead to the birth of the guild system; these merchant guilds facilitated the urbanization and class growth in England. It seems the Normans do not receive due credit for the influence their early innovations had on the societal growth of England.

In the first scenes of Gawain and the Green Night, King Arthur and his nights are enjoying the festivities of Christmas and New Years: "Everywhere resounded in chambers and halls/ Among lords and ladies, whatever pleased them most" (162). This scene of carefree jubilee provides a contrast for the eery entrance of the Green Knight, described as handsome yet fearfully "giant" and tinged an emerald green. This intruder not only interrupts the happy-go-lucky attitude of Camelot, but perhaps seeks to put a permanent end to this state through an absurd challenge. Ironically, the joy of the opening pages ultimately serves as a sort of omen: a reminder that all good things must come to an end.

The BABL introduction addressed the tendency of early English writers to call on familiar mythology spanning cultures and regions in their own literature. This is certainly so in Sir Gawain. The references to Troy and Romulus amongst England's own Brutus provided an interesting introduction to the story. Notably, each kingdom referenced in the first stanza faced "turns/ And often joy and turmoil/ Have alternated since" (161). The theme of jubilee followed by sorrow in kingdoms is again visited, this time citing common history and mythology.