Study Guide
...of the folk epic
A folk epic is such a long, narrative poem that evolves from the people of the civilization and their lives. It rises above the facts of those lives, although it is grounded in those facts, to the commonality of their human experiences, wisdom, and values. These types of epics are believed to have developed from the orally-transmitted folk poetry of tribal bards or other authors, and were eventually written down by anonymous poets. The poem has some conventional features such as:
1. A journey or quest for the hero.
2. A setting of sufficient scope to make the saga significant, i.e., the salvation of an entire tribe or nation of people.
3. The presence of supernatural forces or beings, either protective or adversarial.
4. A hero of sufficient stature that he is worthy of undertaking the taskperhaps of lofty social station--royalty, nobility, even semi-divine.
Beowulf as folk epic
Beowulf is considered a folk epic as it is a narrative poem that details a hero's quest. It was written by an anonymous poet as the tale was passed down verbally until it was eventually written down.
4. Beowulf as a heroic figure in the folk epic tradition
The Romance
The Arthurian Romance
The Courtly Love Tradition
Sir Gawain as representative of the ideals of Courtly Love in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Reasons for the Green Knight's "challenge" to Arthur's court
Significance of Gawain's "tests" and their outcomes
Frame story for The Canterbury Tales
Representative social classes among the Pilgrims traveling to Canterbury
The Wife of Bath's purpose for telling her tale
The Wife's tale as "anti-romance"
The Matters of...
View Full Essay