This seventh installment in the series "Arthurian Characters and Themes" brings together nineteen essays (three new, others previously published) with an extended introduction and bibliography. Gawain traces the evolution of Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s favored nephew, from his earliest appearance in the Chronicles of Chrétien de Troyes to modern filmic representations.
The book opens with an extended introduction by the editors, which introduces major recurring themes in the subsequent essays. It explains how Gawain, the paragon of loyal and courteous knighthood in early romances, descends into self-serving villainy in later French sources, only to regain his spotless reputation in modern depictions. While the introduction provides important orienting information, it also repeats portions of the essays, doing them a disservice.
B.J. Whiting’s wide-ranging survey traces the decline of Gawain’s reputation for courtesy and chivalry from Wace to T.H. White. He attributes this decline to a process of “epic degeneration” and the appearance of younger heroes representing courtly love and the quest for the grail. Whiting accuses Tennyson and the author of the prose Tristan of deliberate vilification, calling Tennyson’s work "a little masterpiece of malice" against Gawain (62). The author of the prose Tristan, by contrast, “lacks the sophistication to sneer in Tennyson’s way, but he does what can be done by downright, unmitigated abuse with heavy-handed zeal" (62). Interestingly, many of the other authors in the volume likewise appear to take deeply personal interest in defending Gawain’s reputation.
Rachel Bromwich uses linguistic and literary evidence to examine Gawain as Gwalchmei m. Gwyar, who is characterized by his courtesy in three Welsh romances.
William A. Nitze explores Gawain in the chronicles of Chrétien de Troyes, some of the earliest representations of Arthurian materials. Nitze points to this source as the origin of the conception of Gawain’s idealized courtesy.
Douglas Kelly’s consideration of Gawain’s attitude toward love shows that, though Gawain is the idealization of certain aspects of chivalric code, he is not a reliable counselor in matters of courtly love. This, asserts Kelly, sets the stage for the decline of his reputation in later works, which emphasize courtly love over chivalry. The well-constructed argument provides one reasonable explanation for the decline of Gawain’s reputation.
Friedrich Wolfzettel’s excellent treatment of thirteenth century manuscripts shows Gawain as a comic figure whose good intentions illustrate the inadequacy of Arthurian chivalry in the face of real life. The image of perfect knighthood was popular in this period, he argues, because it allowed authors and audiences to explore the changing values of the new social order. Gawain, he says, “illustrates the tragic inadequacy of the fictional Arthurian world under the real conditions of life" (130).
Keith Busby, focusing on four romances post-1230, explains that efforts to malign Gawain’s character ultimately fail, as he continues to be a popular character well after the appearance of less-flattering depictions.
Lori Walters argues that the author of the Chantilly Manuscript 572 intended to create a multi-branch romance centered on Gawain. Between long sections of story summary, she shows that the author carefully selected from the traditional materials available to focus a complimentary spotlight on Gawain.
Fanni Bogdanow explains the decline of Gawain as a consequence of the conflict between worldly values of chivalry and the religious exaltation grail quest.
Keith Busby’s second article in the collection explores Gawain’s crime in the prose Tristan. He does not venture to speculate why this author uses Gawain as a villain rather than a hero, yet his true aim, to make available excerpts from two as-yet-unprinted manuscripts, is well-served.
Raymond Thompson’s article uses Otto Rank’s hero pattern to analyze the antagonism between Arthur and Gawain in Gawain’s birth narratives. Though Rank’s brand of structuralism is somewhat out-of-vogue today, the stories fit the model well, and the psychological dictates of the hero pattern provide a feasible explanation for an otherwise inexplicable antagonism.
Albrecht Classen argues that in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival Gawain acts as a complement to Parzival, representing the “fundamental human dimension” Parzival’s religious zeal lacks, and that the two heroes must be taken together to be truly understood.
Bart Besamusca shows that in contrast with the Gauvain of French manuscripts of the same time, the Middle Dutch Walewein is presented as the ideal knight and lover. He posits the influence of both the fairy-tale structure (AT 550), the perception of the character in Flemish oral tradition, and the thirteenth century literary development favoring idealized paragons over complex and developing characters.
Marie-Jose Heijkant’s treatment of Gawain in Italy shows that Gawain was generally well-perceived there, and traces some of the influences of folktales and other traditions on Gawain.
Phillip Boardman explores the idea of repetition by examining the literary structure of the romances. He shows that Gawain stands for Arthurian chivalry at its best and developed to function as a foil for other characters.
W.A. Davenport delves into Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to see that the poem portrays Gawain not as an idealized hero, but as a complex character. His article examines specific devices employed by the poet to create complexity, such as contrasting the character’s actions with the heroic ideal.
Beverly Kennedy offers a possible explanation for Malory’s negative portrayal of Gawain by defining the three types of knighthood portrayed in the work. Gawain represents “heroic” knighthood (as opposed to “worshipful” or “true”), based on older models of kinship loyalty (such as the Scottish clan system from which Kennedy believes the character to be derived) and his actions are explicable when viewed through this lens.
Raymond Thompson’s second text-centered contribution to the collection surveys and summarizes Gawain in post-medieval times. He shows that three distinct medieval traditions--chronicle, verse, and prose--persist in modern efforts, and then focuses on three novels to show how authors mingle traditional elements from different sources to develop the controlling vision of their work.
Klaus Jankofsky offers a detailed analysis of how the symbolism and treatment of Gawain in Thomas Berger’s novel Arthur Rex serve Berger’s didactic aims.
David Williams’ article closes the collection with a broad survey of filmic representations of Gawain. Though the article is primarily descriptive, he does examine the Thames Television version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to show how a film can add to our understanding of the original poem.
Overall, the nineteen essays and introduction work well together, though there is a great deal of repetition and overlap between some of the arguments. The bibliographic element of the collection, both in the selected bibliography and the bibliographies of individual articles, is one of its strong points.
While there is more source summary than analysis to be found throughout the book, some themes emerge from the overall trajectory of the collection. The evolution of Gawain’s reputation is well-plotted, and some explanations for the decline are offered. The collection is, in the end, a valuable one. These articles provide a fuller perception of this character, as well as some insight into larger questions of Arthurian tradition and its evolution over time and space.
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[Review length: 1160 words • Review posted on July 19, 2007]