1. When was SGGK written? Sir Gawain is a medieval romance, and while we don’t know for sure when it was written, we can say that is was probably from roughly 1350 to 1400.
  2. What epidemic swept Europe during the time SGGK was written?
  3. In what form of English are SGGK and CT written?
  4. The unifying force of Old English was alliteration and the Caesura. What is the unifying force of Middle English?
  5. The alliterative revival came after the invasion of the ______? Normans
  6. What is a “bob”?
  7. What is a “wheel”?
  8. How many manuscripts do we have of SGGK?
  9. How many manuscripts do we have of CT?
  10. What does the number of manuscripts indicate about CT?
  11. What is the name of the manuscript of SGGK?
  12. What are the names of the other poems in the SGGK manuscript?
  13. What is the Gawain poet commonly called among academics?
  14. What are 5 common characteristics of medieval romance?
  15. Opens with a feast
  16. Involves a challenge
  17. Tells adventures of a young, nearly perfect hero (who struggles to attain perfection – and much of the interest comes from his lack of perfection and the resultant struggle)
  18. Involves supernatural elements
  19. Teaches the hero a moral lesson
  20. Includes women as temptation (the relationship with women comes to the fore, unlike in the English epic, Beowulf)
  21. Shows cyclical qualities of nature
  22. How are the heroes different in epics and romances? Tribe vs ideal
  23. How is the culture different in epics and romances? Shame vs courtly
  24. How is the setting different in epics and romances? Realistic vs idealistic
  25. How is the ending different in epics and romances? Hero dies vs. happy ending
  26. Name 5 requirements of a knight in the code of chivalry.
  • Swear allegiance to his lord
  • Fight to uphold Christianity (connect these first two to the transition in A-S culture)
  • Seek to redress all wrongs
  • Honor truth by word and deed
  • Be faithful to one lady
  • Act with bravery, courtesy, and modesty
  1. What are 6 elements of courtly love?
  2. Love songs and poems tell of a man’s unrequited love for a woman
  3. Lovelorn hero feels inferior to the woman and flatters her in song and verse
  4. Man does everything he can to refine himself to become worthy of her love
  5. Man desires to serve the woman and be rewarded with love
  6. To love her is exquisite pain, yet it gives him great joy (a paradox!)
  7. The woman can A) advance the affair and reward him, OR B) reject and spurn him.
  8. What are the 6 steps of the beheading game?
  9. An outsider, in both outward appearance and social status, comes to the court and challenges.
  10. The hero accepts the challenge, usually after others pass off the responsibility.
  11. The hero gives the outsider a blow, cutting off his head.
  12. Hero journeys to the court of the outsider.
  13. Outsider tests the hero, who is a symbol of the court.
  14. Hero accepts the return blow and returns to court.
  15. What are 5 steps of the hero’s journey?
  16. Call to Adventure
  17. Crossing the threshold
  18. Challenges and Temptations
  19. Atonement of the Father/Fight with the Shadow
  20. Final boon
  21. Return to the known
  22. What is the first and last name of the author of Canterbury Tales?
  23. What was Chaucer’s father’s occupation?
  24. What happened when Chaucer was in the military at age 30?
  25. When was CT written? 1343-1400
  26. What was Chaucer’s connection to the queen of England?
  27. Name 4 public services Chaucer performed
  28. Comptroller of customs for Port of London
  29. Justice of the peace for Kent
  30. Member of Parliament
  31. Went on trade and diplomatic journeys to “the Continent” (specifically to places like France and Italy)
  32. In what city, building, and section is Chaucer’s tomb?
  33. Name two other people who are entombed in the same location as Chaucer. Tennyson, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Browning
  34. How many manuscripts survive of CT?
  35. About how many tales were we supposed to have in CT?
  36. Define pilgrimage
  37. What were the 3 reasons for embarking on pilgrimages?
  38. Why did the pilgrims want to go to Canterbury? Must tell the story.
  39. What is feudalism?
  40. What are squires?
  41. What are serfs?
  42. Name some positions for “those who pray”
  43. Name some positions for “those who fight”
  44. Name some positions for “those who work”
  45. What are the estates of women?
  46. Who are freeman?
  47. What are 5 things the church could do that granted them tremendous power?
  48. What is simony?
  49. What are indulgences?
  50. What was the Great Schism?
  51. What is a romance?
  52. What is a Breton Lay?
  53. What is a beast fable?
  54. What is a fabliaux?
  55. What is a exemplum?
  56. What is a mock heroic?
  57. Name 4 elements of satire
  58. Name and define the two kinds of satire.
  59. Find a quote. What is an example of the cyclical nature of life in SGGK in part 1?
  60. Find a quote. What is an example of the Christian influence in SGGK in part 1?
  61. Find a quote. Give an example of chivalry.
  62. Find a quote. Give an example of chivalry.
  63. Find a quote. Give an example of chivalry.
  64. Find a quote. Give an example of courtly culture.
  65. Find a quote. Give an example of courtly culture.
  66. Find a quote. Give an example of courtly culture.
  67. What is the difference in the armoring of Sir Gawain and the armoring in the Iliad?
  68. What colors are associated with Gawain and why?
  69. What is the positive significance of green and the negative significance of green?
  70. What is the ekphrasis in SGGK?
  71. What are the 5 elements of the pentangle star?
  72. What is the meaning of the Five Senses? – sight, smell, touch, sound, taste – may indicate that Gawain does not sin through sensual indulgences (“free from sin”)
  73. What is the meaning of the Five Fingers? – references his physical strength (“never fail him”)
  74. What is the meaning of the Five Wounds of Christ – hands, feet, side – the source of “all his earthly hope” – What’s significant about the fact that his earthly hope is in the five wounds of Christ? SALVATION
  75. How does the shield reflect the Five Joys of Mary? – Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, Assumption the source of his courage – Her face is painted inside his shield to give him courage.
  76. What are the Five Knightly Virtues? – generosity (missed in our translation), love for other men and friendship for other men (friendliness/brotherly love/chariy), freedom from sin (chastity/pure mind/cleanness), courtesy that never failed (chivalry/pure manners), pity (piety/compassion)
  77. What is Gawain associated with the pentangle star?
  78. In what part do the hunts and temptations appear and why?
  79. What are the parallels in the first hunt/temptation?
  80. What are the parallels in the second hunt/temptation?
  81. What are the parallels in the third hunt/temptation?
  82. What is Gawain’s “sin” that causes him a slight injury?
  83. Find a quote. When does Gawain cross the threshold?
  84. Find a quote. Give an example of the challenges.
  85. Find a quote. Give an example of the challenges.
  86. How should we feel about Gawain by the end of the tale?
  87. What common element of romance does Gawain not fulfill?
  88. Who is the mastermind of the test within the Tale? Why is this person involved?
  89. What is the difference between a Breton Lay and a romance?
  90. What is the literary genre of the general prologue?
  91. What are two literary genres of the Wife’s Tale? Why?
  92. What are two literary genres of the Pardoner’s Tale? Why?
  93. What are two literary genres of the Priest’s Tale? Why?
  94. Find a quote. Give an example of juvenalian satire in The Wife’s prologue.
  95. Find a quote. Give an example of horatian satire in The Wife’s prologue.
  96. Find a quote. Give an example of juvenalian satire in The Pardoner’s prologue or epilogue.
  97. Find a quote. Give an example of horatian satire in The Pardoner’s prologue or epilogue.
  98. Find a quote. Give an example of juvenalian satire in The Priest’s Tale.
  99. Find a quote. Give an example of horatian satire in The Priest’s Tale.
  100. How does Chaucer use The Wife to criticize society?
  101. How does Chaucer use The Pardoner to criticize the church?
  102. How does Chaucer use The Pardoner to criticize the society?
  103. How does Chaucer use The Priest’s Tale to criticize society?
  104. How does Chaucer use The Priest to criticize the church?
  105. What does the Wife want to teach with her lesson?
  106. What are the seven deadly sins?
  107. What deadly sin is the Wife’s primary vice?
  108. What deadly sin is the Pardoner’s primary vice?
  109. What deadly sin is the Priest’s primary vice?
  110. How is the bible misappropriated throughout the Tales? Give one specific example.
  111. How is the bible misappropriated throughout the Tales? Give one specific example.
  112. How is the bible misappropriated throughout the Tales? Give one specific example.
  113. What is a verbal and what are the kinds of verbals?
  114. What part of speech is an appositive and what does it do in the sentence?
  115. What are the 4 endings of participles?
  116. What is the ending of a gerund and what part of speech does it act as in sentences?
  117. Name 4 possible functions of a gerund in a sentence. S OP DO IO PN
  118. What part of speech does a participle act as? Meaning it modifies what part of speech?
  119. How can you instantly tell an infinitive apart from gerunds and participles?
  120. What are the possible functions of infinitive phrases?
  121. A phrase can include the verbal plus what other things?
  122. An adverb modifies what part of speech?
  123. Is a past tense verb always a participle?