Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
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When Sir Thomas Malory wrote Le Morte d’Arthur in the late fifteenth century, he used various sources of Arthurian sources from English and French medieval literature to create his own literary...Show moreWhen Sir Thomas Malory wrote Le Morte d’Arthur in the late fifteenth century, he used various sources of Arthurian sources from English and French medieval literature to create his own literary masterpiece. His work became one of the most well-known works of Arthurian literature, a high chivalric romance full of courtly love, high moral lessons and honourable knightly values. However, this work also contains unexpected passages of comedy and humour unusual for the genre of medieval chivalric romance. In this thesis, I will be analysing this unconventional aspect of Le Morte d’Arthur to discover what function the comedy serves within this literary work. I will provide a close reading of all relevant passages of the original Middle English Text. Then I will be comparing the original text to two modern translations by Dorsay Armstrong and Keith Baines, to discover how this unique element of comedy is rendered in the modern adaptations.Show less
