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Medieval literature
covers medieval literature (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Song of Solomon...)
53
English
Undergraduate 4
11/30/2008

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Cards

Term
What is an example of an allegory in Song of Solomon?
Definition
the relationship of Christ and the church to Solomon and his wife.
Term
How does Sir Gawain and the Green Knight enforce ideas of Gender Hierarchy according to Mullvey?
Definition
Ideas of voyeurism, looker being masculine objectifying female who is passive, giving older ugly woman a lower rank in society.
Term
What are the seven deadly sins according to Parson?
Definition
Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lethargy, Lust, Wrath, Greed
Term
In Pearl, what is the significance of the roundness of the Pearl?
Definition
The roundness cannot ever wane; as a sign of the Eucharist that stands in for the unity of Christian community
Term
What type of tale is the Pearl?
Definition
allegory/elegy
Term
Where is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight located?
Definition
M.S. Cotton Nero A.X. ca 1362
Term
What type of work is Cleanness?
Definition
Exemplum
Term
Who is the author of Cleanness?
Definition
The Gawain or "Pearl" poet
Term
When was Cleanness written?
Definition
late 14th century
Term
What was the negotiation made between Sir Gawain and Birdelac?
Definition
Birdelac will give all animal winnings to Gawain. In turn, Gawain returns his winnings from the castle.
Term
Where was the moment of inferiority in Sir Gawain?
Definition
Second confession scene: Girdle to the ground.
Term
What does exemplum mean?
Definition
an example or model, esp. a moralizing or illustrative story.
Term
What does alliterative verse mean?
Definition
the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words of stressed syllables
Term
What could the five points of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight be?
Definition
endless knot, five appendages, five senses, five wounds of Christ
Term
What are the elements of penance?
Definition
contrition of heart, confession of mouth, and satisfaction
Term
What does contrition of heart mean?
Definition
genuine sorrow for sin
Term
What does confession of mouth mean?
Definition
speaking sin aloud; privately to a priest
Term
What does satisfaction mean?
Definition
performing a penalty (punishment, i.e. hair sweater)
Term
What are the species of penance?
Definition
solemn, common, and private penance
Term
What does fabliau mean?
Definition
an old French genre; it is a story seen as a derivative of romance; bastardization of romance; about common people, raw sex, parodies convention of romance (ex. Alisoun escapes punishment)
Term
What does "hende" mean?
Definition
pun on handy (touchy feely); Nicholas can't keep his hands to himself in The Miller's Tale
Term
What does noble tale mean?
Definition
aristocracy/social context vs. moral context (truth integrity)
Term
What is an allegory?
Definition
extended metaphor that says there is a literal meaning of text and a spiritual meaning of text
ex. church in the world; Christ and the church
Term
What is an extended metaphor?
Definition
a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work
Term
What does topological mean?
Definition
moral explanation; soul comes to Christ with desire to ascend and grow spiritually
Term
What does anagogical mean?
Definition
points to the hereafter; spiritual- resurrection and church of heavenly glory
Term
What is affective piety?
Definition
emotionally based devotion often experienced by medieval women
Term
What does elegy mean?
Definition
mournful melancholy or plaintive poem (esp. a funeral song or a lament for the dead)
Term
What does elegiac mean?
Definition
mourns for the loss, spiritual- resolves such a loss through understanding of God, didactic- teaches a lesson
Term
What is a Eucharist-trope?
Definition
contains image of Christ
Term
What is the dichotomy of Pearl?
Definition
reason vs. will
Term
What is doctrinal work?
Definition
questions and answers; teaches Bible doctrines
Term
What does voyeurism mean?
Definition
practice of obtaining sexual gratification by looking at sexual object or acts, esp. secretively
Term
What does dalliance mean?
Definition
trifling away of time; dawdling or amorous toying; flirtation depending on the context it is used in
Term
What are some traits of the "Pearl" poet?
Definition
likes luxury, writes for the aristocracy, very invested in Christianity, what it means to be a Christian; he was into symbolism, images, and numbers
Term
What is the genre of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?
Definition
romance- it's tricky because the first stanza leads us to believe it is an epic
Term
What happens in the first stanza of Pearl?
Definition
a gem turns into the narrator's daughter; life everlasting: a virtue (allegorical shift)
Term
What do the first four or five lines of the last stanza establish?
Definition
grief and mourning despite reason
Term
What does chapter five of Pearl reiterate?
Definition
grief and self-centeredness
lesson: life is superficial
Term
Who wrote the Miller's tale?
Definition
Chaucer
Term
Who are the main characters of the Miller's Tale?
Definition
John, Nicholas, Absolon, Alisoun
Term
What is some background information on Chaucer?
Definition
worked for the government, never earned money for his writings; interested in narrative
Term
What is important about the character Alisoun?
Definition
longest effictio; presents the body as an object to be observed; see her desire to present herself
Term
What are some elements of courtly love in Pearl?
Definition
jealous husband, adultery, Alisoun dresses of a higher status
Term
How is the Song of Solomon translated in medieval tradition?
Definition
reduction of God's love to a language we can understand
Term
What are the four loves of Ancrenne Wisse?
Definition
friendship, spousal/sexual, maternal, body and soul/individual
Term
What are some themes of Sir Gawain?
Definition
Chivalry and Christianity, Homoeroticism, Green Girdle, Five Points
Term
What is an example of homoeroticism in Sir Gawain?
Definition
If Gawain had sex with Birdelac's wife, he would've had to give that to Birdelac... same with the kisses; "redde quod debbes" - render what it owed
Term
What is the important meaning of the green girdle?
Definition
symbolizes judgment that will occur for sin; announces to the community a sinful man; causes reflection on moral behavior
Term
What does Gawain's scar stand for?
Definition
It's an outward sign for his internal strife
Term
What idea does the Miller's Tale focus?
Definition
the word "noble"
Term
What genre is the Miller's Tale?
Definition
fabliau- parody of romance
Term
What is the modern thought of visual spectatorship vs. medieval thought?
Definition
modern: subject is passive and completely objectified
medieval: subject is revealing itself to the viewer
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