This thesis explores the ways in which speech and silence are used by characters in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" in order to deal with the identity conflicts of the fourteenth century....Show moreThis thesis explores the ways in which speech and silence are used by characters in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" in order to deal with the identity conflicts of the fourteenth century. Characters use speech to either show others which external behaviour belongs to their reputation or to control and regulate others’ external behaviour, which shows they believe their external behaviour is more important than their internal selves. Characters use silence to gain power over others or to save themselves, which shows they prioritise the individual instead of the community and favour the internal self instead of external behaviour.Show less
J.R.R. Tolkien took the values and virtues found in Anglo-Saxon heroic literature and applied them to his Legendarium. Tolkien established his own form of modern heroism by examining Old English...Show moreJ.R.R. Tolkien took the values and virtues found in Anglo-Saxon heroic literature and applied them to his Legendarium. Tolkien established his own form of modern heroism by examining Old English works such as "Beowulf" and "The Battle of Maldon". He admired the Germanic heroic tradition, yet condemned its pagan nature. This comparative paper discusses four works of heroic literature - i.e. "Beowulf", "The Battle of Maldon", "The Lord of the Rings", and "The Children of Húrin" - focusing on the heroes of each work and how their actions reflect their ethics. The author emphasises Tolkien's disapproving views of Anglo-Saxon heroism found in "The Children of Húrin" in which its prideful hero Túrin brings about disaster and tragedy upon himself and those around him.Show less
This study explores the influence of Homer’s Odyssey on the medieval Breton lay Sir Orfeo, written by an unknown author. By examining the similarities between the two works, comparing research on...Show moreThis study explores the influence of Homer’s Odyssey on the medieval Breton lay Sir Orfeo, written by an unknown author. By examining the similarities between the two works, comparing research on the time of writing for Sir Orfeo, and determining the ways in which Homer’s Odyssey circulated during this period, this paper aims to add to existing research on the work, and open up the discussion of other possible sources than those that have been examined before. The results revealed that while the Odyssey and Sir Orfeo indeed share many similarities, a direct link between the two works is unlikely: Homer was not considered a reliable storyteller during the time Sir Orfeo was written and his works were not popularized or translated yet. It is possible that Sir Orfeo, instead, was influenced by Dictys’ Ephemeris Belli Troiani, but there is a greater likelihood that the shared themes were part of the imaginative framework of late medieval England.Show less
In Anglo-Saxon literature, fighting is most often left to the heroic male characters. However, in both the Old English Judith and Beowulf there are female characters who participate in killing and...Show moreIn Anglo-Saxon literature, fighting is most often left to the heroic male characters. However, in both the Old English Judith and Beowulf there are female characters who participate in killing and battling. Judith decapitates the enemy of her people, the army leader Holofernes. In Beowulf Grendel’s mother attacks Heorot, carries away a retainer and battles Beowulf in single combat. Considering that the stereotypical role for women in Old English heroic poetry is that of the geómoru ides, the so-called “mournful woman”, it seems peculiar that these characters would act in such a way. This thesis will examine the roles fo Grendel's Mother and Judith in relation to conventional poetic roles for women. The thesis will show that an Anglo-Saxon audience would have perceived Judith in more positive terms than Grendel's Mother.Show less
This thesis explores gender in The Miller's Tale through active speech and verbs used to describe this speech. It also looks at how closely The Miller's Tale adheres to the conventions of the...Show moreThis thesis explores gender in The Miller's Tale through active speech and verbs used to describe this speech. It also looks at how closely The Miller's Tale adheres to the conventions of the fabliau genre as a way to explain genderShow less
The purpose of this thesis is to explore the relationship between medieval literature and architecture. I’m hoping to find out whether the images of architectural structures in the works of...Show moreThe purpose of this thesis is to explore the relationship between medieval literature and architecture. I’m hoping to find out whether the images of architectural structures in the works of Geoffrey Chaucer are true to what they would have looked like in the Middle Ages, or if they were based on earlier architecture styles or even based on merely his imagination. The main research questions for this thesis will be: how does Chaucer depict the built environment and use structures in his works? What effect does the use of structures and space have on the creation of a narrative? Did his travels to Europe influence the kind of structures he created? The main focus will be on the tower, temples and theatre in The Knight’s Tale, the three structures in House of Fame, and the city and domestic structures in Troilus and Criseyde.Show less
This thesis investigates the participation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (1996-2011) in a tradition of nominally feminist fantasy literature that challenges patriarchal values...Show moreThis thesis investigates the participation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (1996-2011) in a tradition of nominally feminist fantasy literature that challenges patriarchal values commonly found in the genre. By close-reading the characters of Arya, Sansa, and Brienne, this thesis argues that the novels act as a subversion of common fantasy tropes while at the same time standing in opposition to nominally feminist fantasy literature that centers on female protagonists overcoming the patriarchy through skill at arms. By emphasizing the struggle of everyone living under the patriarchy, Martin's series instead highlights the need for cultural revolution in attitudes towards gender.Show less
This study will argue that the most likely composition date of the Old English Exodus was the eighth century. This will be argued on the basis of the differences between the eighth and the tenth...Show moreThis study will argue that the most likely composition date of the Old English Exodus was the eighth century. This will be argued on the basis of the differences between the eighth and the tenth centuries with respect to the following topics: church practices, ideas on volition and grace, and ideas on the place of women in society. The differences between the Old English poem Exodus and the biblical account will be compared to the different ideas of the eighth and the tenth centuries to see in which century the poem was most likely composed. The same will be done for the Old English poem Judith, which was composed during the tenth century, to see if this method could lead to the right date of composition for the poem Judith, and thus if it is a good method for finding the composition date of the Old English poem Exodus.Show less
