post#6

The Arthurian legend has been able to endure the test of times because of the fact that it portrays elements of medieval romances such as a hero engaged in pure adventure and emphasizing rank and social distinctions. People have always loved to read about an epic hero going above and beyond their capabilities to defeat a seemingly invincible villain.

For example, in The Sword in the Stone, no one expected someone like Authur to be able to pull the sword from the stone. It is basic elements of irony like that that have always entertained people to read and have endured the test of time. The Authurian Legend also displays a hero being brave. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain shows bravery when he, "leaned forward to the king and spake, ‘I beseech ye, my lord, let this venture be mine.’” (para. 12). Sir Gawain also shows bravery by accepting the Green Knight's challenge. Then the Green Knight spoke to Gawain, ‘Make we our covenant ere we go further. First, I ask thee, knight, what is thy name? Tell me truly, that I may know thee.” (para. 14) .

Another reason why the Authurian Legend has been able to endure the test of time is because the Authurian Legend depicts people who have a lot of pride in themselves and who never give up. For example, "What are you going to do. bleed on me?Black Knight: I'm invincible!" (Monty Python and the Holy Grail). In a humorous way, the black knight, despite clearly being defeated by Authur, refuses to give up on the fight against Authur. People have been and always will be entertained by a character who is relentless and who never quits. Times may change, but people's personal values and things that enterain people will never change and that is why the Authurian Legend has been able to endure the test of time.

My personal reaction to Medeval Romance Literature is that it is very wordy in the way that it is written by Medieval Romance authors. This makes some of the pieces hard to understand and therefore hard to enjoy reading. For example, "He was often alone at nighttime in places where the path ahead would please no one" (Sir Gawain). Instead of simply saying "the upcoming path was bad" the author makes that sentence very wordy and thus it forces me to have to think about what is meant to be said. I feel like I spend more time trying to undertsand the context in which the Medieval pieces are written in rather than actually understand what is going on within the story and being able to interpret it.