Hello!
First post after spring break, so we will see how this goes! And as
long as we are talking about spring break, let's talk about what spring
break implies for people in their late teens and twenties...
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| Let's face it, this was all of us during our last class before spring break. |
...or better yet, let's not. While many of us
don't think of partying as an example that can be used in school (I'm
taking a risk in doing so), it can be used in this King Arthur course.
In fact, we discussed it in class. It is called
a "carnivalesque" atmosphere: where societal rules don't apply and
everyone can be free for a while. While we experience a carnivalesque
atmosphere when we are in the moment (spring break being an example), we
must later face the consequences of our actions.
(Growing up really stinks sometimes, huh?) However, for the people in
Arthur's court, this is not usually so. This past reading has been
surreal because it is extremely different: there are dire consequences
and people do not embrace a sinner (like those who
wore the green sash in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.)
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| "Gwen babe, they found us out. So...I need some space." |
Lancelot, who has been seen as one of Arthur's
finest knights, has been having an affair with Guinevere for fourteen
years now. He was praised in The Knight of the Cart, and it
seemed that his sins (however romantic) were excused
because of his great abilities. However, in the Quest for the Holy
Grail, he is denied the Grail because he is not worthy. He has sinned in
his affair with Guinevere, as well as in seeking for wordily glory and
failing to thank God for his abilities. Who is
worthy of the Grail, however? Galahad, Lancelot's son, and the product
of a union he thought was between himself and Guinevere (this would have
been adultery...one of the many times he had committed this).
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| Sorry Lancelot, but you'll never be this guy to Galahad. |
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| ...Or even this guy. |
This is very different from the glorious Lancelot we see in The Knight of the Cart, who
is admired by young boys. This is a man who is unworthy of the Grail
because of his sins, and is surpassed by his son, whose virtuous and
good,
and is nothing like him. There is something very sad in this...almost a
foreshadowing of the end of Lancelot and the rest of Arthur's knights,
and the age of worthier knights. Whether this happens, I do not know,
but this reading is ominous. It implies a darker
future of something yet to come.
Oh and on another note...the lion in the story reminds me of this guy:
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| ASLAN!!! |
I wonder if C.S. Lewis knew? Despite popular
belief, his stories were based off of more than just Christianity. He
was educated in mythology...I wonder if he was into Arthurian legend!
CS Lewis absolutely knew about the Lion and was into Arthurian legend. Studying the humanities, this class, gives us tools to see these connections. Little hint--on Monday did you hear Dr. MB refer to "the Inklings"? The Inklings was a group of academics/friends that met weekly to talk and toss back a brew at the Oxford pub "the Eagle and Child." Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, we're a couple of the notable members. Lewis taught Medieval Literature and in his last job was head of the department.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your insights on Lancelot's moral character, his imperfect humanity, as well as the comments about fathers and sons.
That's right! I remember hearing about that. I wonder if the White Witch could have been based on a character in Arthurian legend as well, perhaps Morgan?
DeleteI feel that Lancelot's sins can be portrayed in life now because many people have affairs and some do not receive what they hope to in life because of the sins they have committed.
ReplyDelete