Berndt,+Brittany

Study Guide - Fin**al**
The Renaissance consisted of the rebirth of the ideas and of the aesthetic values associated with the classical cultures of ancient Greece and Rome, after a thousand year long era in which civilization had gone into eclipse. • The Renaissance was full of great humanist thinkers like Sir Thomas More • The Renaissance in England took part towards the end of the sixteenth century in the latter part of the reign of Elizabeth I. • The Elizabethan Renaissance followed the Protestant reformation, and in consequence took on a different religious coloring from that of the Christian humanism so central to the Italian Renaissance and the early Northern Renaissance, which took shape before Martin Luther launched to Protestant Reformation in 1517. • Medieval ideas of chivalry were kept alive largely for political and social purposes even as a developing moneyed economy was refashioning the world.
 * Renaissance – The Introduction – Pages 450-503 **

Humanists were distinguished from other scholars not by exclusive focus on human or secular texts, but rather by their focus on secular writings, particularly classical ones, as well as on religious texts and thoughts. • Renaissance humanists: classical writings were of interest for many purposes: the epic poems of Home and Virgil and the erotic poems of Ovid were of as much interest as the writings of philosophers. • It is in the writings of humanists that we see the possibility of imagining human society as a body of independent of the workings of God.
 * Humanism **

The Renaissance saw an increased interest and belief in astrology, alchemy, and demonology, now know as “pseudo sciences”.
 * Scientific Inquiry **

The Protestant Reformation was in part about power: would the Roman Catholic Church retain the power to act as an intermediary between Christians and God, power to define the nature of God, power to control all aspects of worship, power over the legitimacy of marriage and children, and in many cases vast power over lands and financial resources, included the power to impose tithes and taxes?
 * The Reformation in England **

• Elizabeth established a relatively moderate protestant state • In 1563 she set out the 39 articles, the theological foundation of the Church of England, further establishing religious uniformity. • Yet for all her sure-handedness in exercising power, Elizabeth contrived to remain throughout her reign an icon of female virtues – although of course stressing the virginal ideal, not the maternal as Elizabeth never married or had children. • //“Body Politic”// – without gender and without defect, together with a body natural that was entirely human in character.
 * Elizabeth I and Gender **

• Utopia gave its name to a new genre defined by subject matter: works presenting an imagined world in such a way as to prompt reflection upon the inadequacies and absurdities of the present world. • While utopian fiction is defined by its subject matter, the genre of prose fiction as a whole also came into its own sixteenth century: a wide variety of prose fiction in English had appeared by the end of the century, aimed at the increasingly wide variety of audiences the printing press had made possible. •The most important prose writings were the religious non-fiction works; far from the most popular. • The most important writer of non fiction prose of the age was Francis Bacon, a writer renowned today fro introducing the essay form into English and for the contribution he made to the development of research based on experimentation and inductive reasoning – the “scientific method”.
 * Literature in Prose, and the Development of Print Culture **

The most popular form was alliterative verse, which featured a pause in the middle of each line and two alliterating stresses in each of the two half lines. • Classical and Italian forms would dominate English Poetry for the next 4 centuries.
 * Poetry **

• always ended with a Rhythmic Couplet: Line 1 is the inspiration from God, Line 2 is becoming one with the spirit (in harmony) 13th Century Italy – Sonnets were popular (Renaissance) __//Italian Rhyme Scheme//__: abba abba – cde cde __//English/Shakespearean Sonnet//__: abab cdcd efef gg //Iambic Pentameter –// ten syllables per line, 5 pairs, stressed/unstressed
 * Elizabethan Sonnets **

May 3 - Poet Biography and Analysis, For Presentation
//Biographical Information:// Johnson was the first Englishman to publish his own poetry and drama. He was quite unique in the fact that he preferred to create his own plots rather than borrow from earlier sources (like many other writers of his time did). His poetry was classical in form (intensely personal, yet social), he began writing at the Westminster School during his adolescence. However, in 1598, he was sent to prison for murder. He was quite the avid drinker, and had killed a man during a bar fight. It was in jail that Johnson converted to Catholicism. "Johnson affected the development of modern authorship as well as influenced the publication of Shakespeare's first folio". //Poetry Forms:// •Johnson's poems were general in classical form...they were "personal, yet social" • ode epitaphs • all of Johnson's poems seen in the anthology were rhyming in nature..they had a consistent rhyme scheme of AA BB CC...etc... //Poem:// For our poem analysis, we chose to do the poem, //On My First Daughter// - This poem is highly personal for Johnson, as it is about the death of his very young (6 month old daughter). //** On My First Daughter **// Here lies, to each of her parents' ruth, Mary, the daughter of their youth; Yet, all heaven's gifts bring heaven's due, It makes the father less to rue. At six months' end she parted hence With the Safety of her innocence; Whose soul heaven's queen (whose name she bears) In comfort of her mother's tears, Hath place amongst her virgin train: Where, while that severed doth remain, This grave partakes the fleshly birth; Which cover lightly, gentle earth. // - 1616 // // Analysis: // Each of the parents (Johnson and his wife) both obviously have grief for the death of their young daughter, Mary. However, the idea that all that comes from heaven must go back, puts Johnson more at ease. Since Mary died at 6 months of age, she clearly had kept her innocence, which means without a doubt she will return to heaven. Johnson continues on to say that his his daughter, Mary's soul, is in the hands of Mary ("heaven's queen"); which also gave his wife comfort. Her soul which has been severed from her body, is now in heaven. All that is left of her upon this earth is her body, which is held in the grave. So though it is clear that Johnson is deeply saddened by the death of his daughter, his spirit frees him from his grief, at least at a certain level. He uses his spirit to confirm to himself, his wife, as well as readers that according to religion, Mary had clearly maintained her innocence in her short time on earth. Since she maintained her innocence, she would in fact go to heaven, which means her soul is resting with God.
 * Ben Johnson - **

May 2 - Choose a poem assigned for the day to analyze.
//The Canonization// - **John Donne** In this poem, Donne seems to be asking the reader to just "let him love". He begins the poem by telling the reader to just let him love, he says the reader can criticize him for anything but his love, "For God's sake hold your tongue, and let me love, Or chide my palsy, or my gout, My five gray hairs, or ruined fortune flout". He proceeds to ask the reader what his love his harming? Since it is not harming anyone or anything, he sees no reason that his love should be stopped or criticized. To prove to the readers and all others that his love is harmless he mentions other life scenarios that have much worse outcomes than his love. "Soldiers find wars, and lawyers find out still...Litigious men, which quarrels move, Though she and I do love". It is clear, from the reading of this poem that Donne felt very passionate about his love, and would rather have anything about him criticized or taken away before the love itself or the person. He feels that the "critics" should leave him alone, because there are far worse things going on within society. His relationship with his love has affected no one, and therefore feels he should have not only the ability, but the right to love.

May 1 - Source for Final Paper
For my final paper, I decided to investigate the aspects of the love triangle, and how women are portrayed within them. There seems to be a consistent trend in the deviation of women in all of these relationships rather than men. This proves true in Bisclavret, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and in the Millers Tale. The first source I found for my paper discusses the role of women in Bisclavret. Bisclavret is a unique work for Marie de France, because it is the only one of her works that discusses "falling out of love". Women often seem to be the cause of the relationships failing within the works of literature that we have read. (1) Bisclavret - the wife steals her husbands clothes, so that he can not transform from his werewolf form. Since he cannot change out of werewolf form, she cannot be looked down upon for choosing to be with another male. (2) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Gawain is drawn in by Lady Bertilak from the moment he lays eyes on her. Granted this is not a traditional relationship form, but it still demonstrates a female deceiving a male. Lady Bertilak draws Gawain in with her beauty, and actually makes him believe that she wants to be with him. Gawain only finds out otherwise during his encounter with the "green knight" or Lord Bertilak. (3) The Miller's Tale - Allison deliberately deceives her husband with her lover Nicholas. Her and Nicholas devise a plan to tell her husband there will be a flood; so that the two can have a night alone.

**Article:** Creamer, P. (2002). WOMAN-HATING IN MARIE DE FRANCE'S BISCLAVRET. //Romanic Review//, 93(3), 259-274. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//.

**Article discussing the issue of women in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:** Morgan, G. (2002). MEDIEVAL MISOGYNY AND GAWAIN'S OUTBURST AGAINST WOMEN IN SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT. //Modern Language Review//, 97(2), 265. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//.

**Possible Source for the Miller's Tale:** Aloni, G. (2006). Extimacy in the "Miller's Tale.". //Chaucer Review//, 41(2), 163-184. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//.

May 1 - Elizabethan Sonnets
All of these sonnets follow a particular form. "Free Verse" poetry in a modern construction. • Sonnets end with a rhythmic couplet - the first line is usually inspiration from God, and the second line helps the reader become one (harmony) with "the spirit"

In 13th century Italy sonnets were extremely popular (as this was the time of the Renaissance for the Italian). It was during this time that the original sonnet was manipulated in order to create new forms Sonnets can have a few different rhyme schemes: **Italian Rhyme Scheme:** abba abba - cde cde **English/Shakespearan Rhyme Scheme (Britain):** abab cdcd efef gg • The moment of summation or revelation is always in the couplet.

April 27 - Kelly Stowell, Shakespeare
Kelly Stowell is an absolutely incredible actor. I find Shakespeare extremely difficult to read and comprehend; which is why I think her performance intrigued me so much. She clearly has a depth of not only understanding of the text, but a passion for Shakespeare as well. Though I could not really understand what was going on in the plays, it is apparent that there is a lot of emotion within them. The topics are very emotionally charged, as they have to deal with relationships, love, affairs, and self concepts that we may not often talk about. In order for her to act out these monologues or plays, she not only has to have an understanding of Shakespeare himself (his works) but, she also has to have an understanding or has to be able to relate to all of these emotions involved in these topics. I never realized how important researching of a character would be before her presentation today, but it makes absolute sense. In order for an actor to accurately depict a character, they must not only know the character, but they must understand the character and what makes them "tick". I also found it incredible that she did not start reading Shakespeare until 40! I could completely relate with her when she talked about how she used to get lost in his works; because I feel the same exact way. No matter how many times I read his works, I can usually get a general idea of what they are about; but I can never figure it out completely.

April 25 - Brainstorm 1 or 2 ideas for the final project...
I have been thinking a lot about this final paper, but I haven't come up with any specific ideas. A lot of the texts that we have read can be connected, which will help in writing the paper; it's actually choosing the topic that's difficult. (1) I was thinking that I may possibly want to do something with the "love triangle" or "courtly love" concepts. These are subjects that have clearly influenced many of our writers (as in their writing style, their plot, as well as their purpose for writing). These themes are seen within: Bisclavret, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Miller's Tale, Sir Orfeo... Including the concept of love seems to be something that almost all of our authors have done over the course of the semester; though it is much more prominent in some works.

(2) Another popular concept demonstrated in writing is the idea of spirituality. Though a lot of our authors had similar religions, they all seems to view religion in a different light. Whether the author is reflecting on their own personal experiences (Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe) or whether they have created characters to represent their beliefs (Chaucer, Marlowe, More)...a belief system is without a doubt prominent within their writing.

April 18 - The Faerie Queen
The Faerie Queen represents Queen Elizabeth. It takes place in a midievil setting, most of the main characters being knights. The piece of literature is full of allegory (everything represents something else, nothing is as it seems). There are several different types of agendas that Spenser addresses, these agendas include: political and religious. Characters: **Redcrosse** - the main character, he is a knight that represents holiness and England. He could also symbolize a protestant fighting the Catholic Church. **Una** - woman that travels with Redcrosse. She represents purity (or the one true church). **Duessa** - seems to be the complete opposite of Una, she could represent the idea of falsehood. **Archimago** - a sorcerer that has the ability to change the form of people. He constantly plays with the characters minds throughout the story, as we see an imposter of both Una and Redcrosse. I was completely confused while reading this work, here is my analysis of Canto 4 to the best of ability. __**Plot**__ - Redcrosse has been led by Duessa to the sinful house of pride. At this house, Redcrosse will fight with Sansjoy to avenge the death of Sansfoy (Sanjoy's brother). There are several characters encountered in this Canto. **Lucifera**, is the queen of the palace. She has six beasts. These beasts include: Glutteny (food-greed), Idleness (no purpose), Lechery (sexual desire), Avance (greed - materialistic), Envy (jealousy), and Wrath (rage).The character of Lucifera seems to be extremely evil, maybe representing the devil? As lucifer is a common name given to the devil. Her 6 beats could represent different qualities that rest within her, or "hell"? The characters of Sansjoy and Sansfoy also carry a lot of meaning within their names. "Sans" means without. Therefore, Sansfoy would mean without faith, and Sansjoy would mean without religious pride. I found it difficult to gain exact meaning in any canto of the text, as everything is an Allegory, and nothing has an explicit meaning. I'm sure this text would be easily decoded by people living in this time, as they were well aware of political, religious, and social agendas.

April 11-12 - Ruminate on "To the Troops at Tilsbury" (687)
In this passage, it is very apparent that Queen Elizabeth takes great pride in her country and in her people. She consistently compliments her people throughout the entire address, referring to them as her "loving people". She not only takes pride, but she has an absolute confidence in both that can clearly not be tampered with. She comments quite a bit on her gender, as it seems to have a great influence on the power that she has at this time. She says that she has **"the body of a weak and feeble woman"** but she has the **"heart and stomach of a king"**. She is assuring them that she has both the strength and the will to lead them through this invasion. This address is discussing the intention of invasion by the Spanish Armada in July of 1588. She not only assures them that she will lead them through this invasion, but that they will come out of it with a victory, a famous victory at that.

The speech Queen Elizabeth gives is very clearly defined. Both the speech and her actions say a lot about who she is as a leader. She goes down to the battlefield fully dressed in armor. Not that she plans on fighting with her troops, but to symbolize she will be with them in spirit during their fight. This leaves her troops feeling confident, inspired, and protected by their Queen. There is no sense of doubt in her tone, but rather complete certainty. She defines England as a NATION against Spain. Though the Spanish are an extremely strong force at this time, she has no doubt that England will come out on top, as long as the troops follow her words.

Information about England and the Span at the Time of this Battle - • Spain wants to take over England (they feel they ahve this right, because their king was once married to a previous Queen - Mary). • England cannot withstand Spain from a military standpoint (it does not have the strength) • A huge storm ends up wiping out the Spanish Armada, the English burn what is left of the Armada after this; leaving Spain crippled

April 6 - Identify one significant difference in the language of the Biblical Passages
The language in the different translations in the Biblical Passages seems to be fairly similar. The stories all seem to be the same other than some differences in word order and word selection. However, with each translation, the language seems to get more complex. Also, with the simpler language, the information given in the passages seems to be //slightly// condensed. Tyndale's version of the passages were all simpler to read. It was easy to gain meaning from the passage without having to reread the section, which was not the case for all of the translations. I found myself going back to read Tyndale's translation to regain meaning of what was being said in each passage. // * Tyndale's translation of the Bible was only accepted after his execution //

Tyndale: And God said: let the earth bring forth herb and grass that sow see, and fruitful trees that bear fruit.. King James: And got said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yeilding fruit... Geneva: Then God said, Let the earth bud forth the bud of the herb, that seedeth seed, the fruitful tree, which bareth fruit...  Douay-Rheims: And He said: let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit...
 * Example: Genesis Chapter 1 **

Tyndale's translation contains explicit statements of the events during the creation. He does not add much embellishment. His wording is simple and direct and has a consistant emphasis on God much like the Geneva translation. God is the only word that is capitalized in this translation, which is much unlike the Geneva translation. capitalization || wordier - causes a loss of meaning? || less literal || ye is used for you || (-) agenda || // * all of these translations were written outside of the law //
 * ** Tyndale ** || ** King James ** || ** Geneva ** || ** Douay-Rheims ** ||
 * explicit statement || Italics || (+) capital || Gods Creation ||
 * God is the only
 * ||  ||   || (-) ambiguous

April 6 - Comparing the MIddle Ages to the Renaissance
The Renaissance or the Early Modern Period marked a great expansion of ideas, as well as new ideas. about religion || • There was an expansion in drama as well as literature. People began to create for the sake of creating, not just for religious purposes || (grain/agriculture) || • economy - trade of raw materials like lead, iron, and livestock || created by God || • The practice of science and research was now accepted (ex. causes of disease) || During the Renaissance, there were also translations of the Bible. The church was not highly fond of this idea, as they did not want to lose power. Different translations, meant that information was no longer coming solely from the church. The Renaissance was also the holder of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther seemed to be the main instigator of this movement (as he was the one who posted the 95 theses on the door of the church). The 95 theses we all complaints against the church - these served as the basis for the Protestant Reformation.
 * ** Middle Ages ** || ** Renaissance ** ||
 * • literature and drama were all
 * • creation was only by God || • creation by everyone was now accepted ||
 * economy - people paid in "kind"
 * • no question that everything was

// * From this time on the balance between Protestants and Catholics is constantly shifting. //

March 28 - Discuss the Character of Mak
Mak is an extremely deceiving character in this play. When he first encounters the shepherds, they recognize him as a local thief. However, they figure it can't be him, so they allow him to spend the night with them. While all the shepherds are asleep, he steals one of their fattest and most wooly sheep. Upon reaching his house, he devises a plan with his wife to disguise the sheep as a baby. Mak then goes back to where the shepherds are and goes to sleep. He rises with them in the morning and takes off before anyone knows that he is missing. Mak is a truely skilled thief. He is able to devise a rather believable story and alibi on a dime. He has without a doubt had experience in the art of stealing, as he remains fairly calm throughout the whole ordeal. Even when he and his wife are caught, they continue to make up excuses. They dress up the sheep as a baby, and when the shepherds come back to give the baby a gift, they are able to see that the baby is severely "deformed". After listening to several excuses about broken noses and elves...the shepherds realize that the baby really is their missing sheep. This is ironic for several reasons. Mak is described as a devilish figure and a lamb is often considered to be a symbol of Christ. Symbolism takes great effect here, as the "devilish figure" has stolen the "body of Christ". In this play, Mak seems to be used to represent all that is unholy and goes against God.

March 28 - Julian of Norwich
When reading I found the concept of an anchoress to be quite self depriving, but after our class discussion I found it to be quite the opposite. Though it is quite the "sheltered" life to live, it is rather social. The woman will live in a room off of the church where she will have one window to the outside and one to look inside of the church. Women can take this job in order to dedicate herself to her religious faith or to escape an arranged marriage. Becoming an anchoress will also immediately boost the status of a lower class woman. Anchoress were also considered to be a social center. The women of the town would come share their gossip with them and they were also a tourist attraction. So though these women gave up a lot, they were still able to maintain a relatively social and simple lifestyle. In some cases they may have even become more social upon taking this position than they had been previously. Julian of Norwich was a woman who became even more so dedicated to her faith after experiencing a near death illness. She believes that she was able to overcome her illness, because she was able to put her complete faith into God. Upon nearing death she even stated that she was ready to suffer as much as Christ did. Julian believed that: God should never be doubted (always have certainty in your faith). God is always there, through the good and the bad. We must always have compassion, we must always appreciate God, we must have good faith (give second chances). We should always go to church, as well as keep it first and foremost. Lastly, that all evil can be overcome by sacrifice (mainly talking about Christ's Sacrifice).

More on the Miller's Tale...(Class Discussion: Analyze Allison)
Allison is the center of both love triangles that make up the Miller's Tale. Allison is a young girl, who doesn't seem to know what she wants (or so it seems). She is married to an older carpenter who has money, but definitely seems to be on the controlling side. However, she is having an affair with a student living in her house (Nicholas), who is young, intelligent, and exciting. Allison seems to play people against eachother throughout the course of the entire story. She may do this to gain power? However, on the other hand, she seems to be a pushover as well. I say this because the affair was Nicholas' idea, and Allison goes along with in to fulfill his will. So there is a huge lingering question, and that is who is actually on the power trip, Nicholas or Allison? Whatever the case may be, everyone does cater to Allison's needs. Even at the end of the story, Allison and Nicholas go unscathed, and the husband (John) - the most innocent one of the whole ordeal - is made out to be crazy (since he is the one that crashed a tub, because he was told there was going to be a flood). So even if the affair is to technically be blamed on Nicholas, Allison is just as guilty when the whole situation is considered. She lets the town believe that her husband is crazy. When in fact her and Nicholas fabricated this "flood" lie so that they could spend a night alone. Her selfishness and thoughtlessness is what eventually led her husband to his lowest point by no fault of his own.

March 21 - Why is the "Miller's Tale" a fabliaux/farce?
The Miller's Tale is a farce because it depicts a rather serious event in a humorous manner. The miller tells a tale of a wife's affair on her husband. In order to get a night alone with her lover, the student fabricates a story that there will be a deadly flood. The Carpenter becomes immediately concerned and goes right to work on building 3 separate tubs, which will help them endure the duration of the flood alive. At night, while the husband is asleep, the wife and her lover sneak off and go back to her house for the night. While they are at the house, a man who has long-time admired this women comes knocking at the window. As a joke, the women puts her rear up to the window...and tells him to kiss it. The admirer is enraged, and comes back with a hot poker. The lover (Nicolas) decides he wants to get in on the joke as well, so he puts his rear up to the window, except he is burned with the poker. Nicholas, in turn, yells, "WATER!!!!". The husband, thinking that he means the flood water, cuts the tubs loose from the cieling, and comes crashing down the stairs. The husband is made to look like to town fool, when really he is acting on information that Nicholas (an educated individual) is telling him. Its actually quite amusing that the husband, the most innocent in this whole situation is made out to look bad, when really his wife and Nicholas have been the true deceivers.

March 7 - Canterbury Tales - Pick your favorite pilgrim. Why?
My favorite pilgrim was the Miller, mainly because he seems to be a highly interesting character. The tale he tells is one of high controversy, and it seems as though he does this in order to overpower the greatness of the knight's tale. He may be more free in his tale because he is extremely drunk; but either way I believe his telling of this tale would constitute his character as outgoing. He speaks of an ongoing affair between a carpenter's wife and a male student that is currently staying in the home. He discusses the act of trickery that occurs between the wife and the student (so that they are able to spend an entire night alone together). The student convinces the husband that there will be a flood that will wipe out the entire population. So, the husband builds tubs for them to stay in during the onset and endurance in the flood. The husband builds three tubs, one for each. That night while they are all sleeping separately in the tubs, the wife and the student sneak back to the house to have their night alone. However, this plan backfires when a long time admirer of the lady comes to the house unexpectedly....

The miller tells a tale completely opposite to that of the night. Though his story may seem inappropriate and what not...he captures interest. He discusses a common subject matter of the time, love triangle, but in an off color way. Every audience, both past and present, are always attracted to something that is slightly off or out of the norm. He is unlike the knight in the face he represents human qualities that we are all familar with, he isn't perfect, he makes mistakes, and he says things that maybe he shouldn't. But on some level, I believe he is probably respected for this.

February 28 - "Respond to assigned article ("Undressing Lady Bertilak").
The article "Undressing Lady Bertilak" was highly useful in attempting to analyze and understand Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as far as the affair between Sir Gawain and Lady Bertilak. However, my only complaint is that the passages in question were all in an old English (?) format. I remember while reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, I had an extremely difficult time trying to figure out what had specifically happened between Gawain and the Lady. It wasn't until reading the assigned article that I realized this was a deliberate action of the author. What happened between Lady Bertilak and Sir Gawain was not specifically meant to be identified. The other interesting point that the article raised, was that the words the Lady said to Gawain could be taken either seductively or as being a polite host. Gawain chose for the words to mean what he wanted. After reading this article, I realized that this absolutely the case, and that this literary work is definitely a matter of perspective. But since we as readers were seeing the text through Gawain's eyes we took the words as he perceived them. This article allowed for insight into an extremely confusing and intense part of the story. This allows the reader to see how fragile Gawain's state have mind may have actually been. As he was mistaking common courtesy for seduction; for his mind was more consumed with the loss of his life in his upcoming battle.

February 27 - Sir Orfeo
I found Sir Orfeo to be an excellent story about true love. When King Orfeo loses his true love, Dame Eurydice, he exiles himself! Dame Eurydice is taken off to a mystical fairy land. She is sent for by the King of this land; but no reason is given for why he wants her. Once Orfeo finds out about this, he sends his lady well protected by many knights (but the lady is still taken). Upon the taking of his lady, Orfeo becomes extremely depressed; he says he is going into the forest, and that upon his death his people are to choose a new king. His people beg him not to leave...but he shows little remorse and takes off into the forest regardless. He brings nothing but his harp (he was the best in the land, no man could ever match him). In the forest, Orfeo's only encounters are with the "wild beasts", when he plays his harp. They all gather around to hear the music, but when he stops, they leave. It isn't until one day, many years later that Orfeo sees a bunch of women riding white horses through the area he is located. He decides to follow them; they lead him to a magical kingdom. When he reaches the gates, he tells the keeper that he is a minstrel that has come to play a tune for the King. The keeper lets him in, but when he reaches the king, the king is absolutely outraged. He says in all of his years, he has never had someone come to him who was not summoned. Orfeo said that his job was to play for all..whether summoned or not; so the king lets him play. The king is absolutely amazed by what he hears He tells Orfeo he may have whatever he like; when he tells the king that he wants the dame sleeping under the Impe Tree; the king says he cannot. Orfeo makes his case; and the king finally allow Orfeo to take her. Orfeo heads back to his town with his dame, but before complete entry, he leaves the dame at the house of a beggar. He then proceeds forward to see the new king..the steward. Once he reaches the steward, he plays for him; immediately the steward recognizes that the harp has to be Orfeo's (and questions him). Orfeo then realizes how loyal the steward has actually been, and reveals himself. The steward is greatly relieved to see that his honorable and wonderful king Orfeo is still alive. Sir Orfeo was newly crowned with his Dame Eurydice; and when they passed on the steward was once again king.

February 23 - Pick an important/key passage from Fitt 3 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Analyze.
Page 191-192 - The lady attempts to give Sir Gawain a gift upon his departure for battle with the green knight. At first she attempts to give him her ring; but he says it is much to valuable for her to give to him; especially since he has nothing to give in return. She then gives him her green belt lined with gold. He accepts this gift, but then says "I am deeply in your debt - Because of your kind favor - And will through thick and thin - remain your servant forever". The belt will not allow Gawain to be taken down by death, it will protect him. The lady just makes the request that no one must be told or know of this gift that she has given. The fact that Gawain actually accepts this gift gives the reader a sense for the first time that he does actually have a strong fear of death. Gawain displays extreme reluctance to accept any gift, up until he finds out that this gift could actually allow him to keep his life. I actually find it quite interesting that the author of this poem decides to give Gawain, who is depicted to be one of the best/most fearless knights. But this scene adds to the greater picture of the poem that the author is trying to create. And that is, even "the bravest of them flinch at times". This concept that the author has created almost puts a spin on the vision of a knight that most of us have in our heads. We often see a knight as someone who is brave, fearless, honest, and undefeated. However, here, the most brave and fearless knight from King Arthur's table has strayed from this concept in quite a few ways. He, first and foremost, has displayed a large amount of disrespect in the fact he has engaged in somewhat dangerous and risky behavior with lord Bertilak's lady. Secondly, he accepts this girdle, which almost acts as a "pass on death"; and even though this deviates from what we may consider to be knightly behavior, I'm sure that no reader exactly blames him. I think that many people in his position would do the exact same thing. The problem, however, with him taking this belt creates an even larger chain of dishonesty. As he breaks his deal with lord Bertilak, because he does not give him the belt (their deal was that they would give to eachother all they had obtained during the day whether through hunting or at the palace) and because he has obtained it through dishonest and risky behavior with Bertilak's lady.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (February 27)
I found this text highly interesting for several reasons. But mostly because it displays a figure (knights) that we most often admire, and gives him human like qualities that we generally do not ever hear about. Sir Gawain begins off just like any other knight, he displays bravery when everyone besides his king (Arthur) is lacking. He plays the "beheading" game with the green knight in order to protect his king. However, this game has an outcome that nobody has expected because the giant simply picks up his head and leaves. Sir Gawain must now face this clearly non-human creature. This is extremely frightening because we know for a fact that Gawain is human. Gawain's fear of death doesn't really seem to come into play until he begins his journey to face the green knight a year later.This fear is most greatly displayed in Lord Bertilak's Castle; it is seen in his affair with the lady. I found this part especially intriguing because a knight it supposed to be noble and honest. But here, Sir Gawain in engaging in risky behavior with Bertilak's lady; when Bertilak has shown nothing but excellent hospitality and generousity towards him. Though we cannot blame Gawain for having a fear of death, it is still somewhat shocking to see the fear manifest in this way; as this most noble knight of King Arthur's table has become deceitful and almost selfish. As part of he and Lord Bertilak's deal was that they give eachother all they have gained during the day (the lord his game from hunting, and Gawain whatever he may have received in the castle). On the last day, Gawain had received a "girdle" (that would prevent him from falling to death) and he fails to give it to the Lord; as he wants to remain living through his challenge with the green knight. This shows blatent disrespect and deceitfulness to the Lord. However, all of the truth comes out in the actual "battle" with the "green giant"...as the green giant is really Lord Bertilak. The affair with the Lady was all of a test to Sir Gawain. Once Gawain learns all of this, it is apparent that he is extremely embarrased of this behavior; as he throws the green girdle towards the Lord. Since the girdle seemed to come from the source of all dishonesty; I felt this to be Gawain cleansing himself of all behavior that was not noble.

February 14 - The Art of Courtly Love
The Art of Courtly Love is an extremely interesting piece. The rules given for love seem to be completely contradictory. One one hand love is said to be noble, being between two people; then it says it is appropriate to form a triangle. The views given in these rules are mostly secular (that is non-religious). These rules could never be established within society, as they are merely for the purposes of writing (they include all of the characteristics that would make a love story interesting, love triangles, adultery, and jealousy). However, I did find the fact that women have more power highly intriguing. The men are given specific responsibilities within the rules, the woman's role is almost left to be assumed (as she seems to be the dominant one within these rules); which I feel would be rare for this era in time. Though these rules are simply for purposes of writing, I find in interesting that a major element of love is jealousy. As we often in our society see jealousy as a "deal breaker" or a "rotten" element in love. But, in these rules it says that one must be jealous to be in love.

**February 13 - The Wife's Lament**
The Wife's Lament is a very interesting, yet confusing elegy. The speaker seems to be speaker of this work, she has been married into her current tribe from another in order to take the role as a peace-maker. Because of this, she has be made to feel as an outcast. She is clearly in love, whether it is with her lord or one that is forbidden is unclear. The part that is clear however, is that she has been left alone. Whether, she has been separated from her lord or if she has had a forbidden love and has been left by him. We do not know if she is dead or if she just feels alone; but we do know she is quite lonely and depressed regardless of what the situation may be. "...while I walk alone in the first light of dawn under the oak-tree and through this earth cave, where I must sit the summer-long day; there I can weep for all my exiles, my many troubles..." We also know that the cause of this sadness has left her hard feelings towards eithier her lord or her forbidden lover. She feels so strongly about this loss and heartache that she closes with a warning: "Woe to the one who must wait with longing to a loved one".

February 8 Exeter Book Elegies There were only four manuscripts that preserved old English Poetry. The Exeter book contains most of these poems; most of the poems included in this book are religious. The four poems we read in this short section were philosophical and are better known as elegies. The poems are similar in theme and the writers all seem to have common interests. All of the writers seem to be suffering in one way or another, whether it be at sea, in struggling for acceptance of the lord, in being exiled from a loved one, or seem to feel trapped within the ruins of land. All of these poems are quite desolate in nature and seem to be the voice of very lonely and exiled people.

February 7 "Ruminate on the End of Beowulf"
I had some trouble understanding the events that happened at the end of Beowulf. It seemed that there was a gap where Beowulf was no longer fighting as he got older. However, Beowulf did have to pick up his sword one last time. I am unclear how the dragon came into being, but I do know that Beowulf did end up having his last fight up against him. Beowulf seemed to be weaker in this battle, possibly due to age. His men came to his aid during this battle, however, Beowulf did not make it. I admired the bravery of Beowulf's men; they not only gave him the courage to pursue and endure the battle of the dragon; but they also aided him when he became weak. Even though Beowulf died, his bravery lived on in the memory of his men and in his legend. Beowulf's bravery truely shines through in his older age, though he knows he does not have the strength this battle will require; he takes on the fight with the same amount of prestige as he did with all of his previous battles.

**Introduction and Gareth Hinds (1/26) **
My name is Brittany. I am a junior in the Moderate Disability Program for children Pre-K through 8. I also have a minor in English. I am looking forward to learning more about British Literature. My other Literature courses focused on American and African Literature, so this is a completely new area of literature for me. The graphic novel by Gareth Hinds, was an extremely interesting way to begin the course. The graphic novel put an entirely different perspective on "Beowulf" for me. The wording was much easier to understand and the illustrations provided actual imagery for the events occurring. The illustrations added much more excitement and anticipation for the unfolding of events within the novel. The amount of talent that went into Hind's graphic novel is absolutely incredible. To be able to adapt the original version, into simpler text without taking away or changing the epic is phenomenal. His illustrations also give the novel a whole other dimension, that adds to the comprehension and excitement to the text. The visual he provides allows for a much deeper understanding for the material. After reading both versions of Beowulf, both Hinds version and the original, I have to say I got much more enjoyment out of the graphic novel. The language was simple, which I think allowed me to focus on what the epic was actually about; instead of concentrating on decoding the verses. However, it was interesting to see Beowulf in two different art form, poetry and illustration. Since I read the graphic novel first, I was able to put a picture in my mind as I was reading the original; which is a rare experience to have in this level of education. Beowulf is interesting, because though it is highly intellectual, it's story structure represents that of stories we all enjoyed when we were younger. The hero sweeps in and is able to save the town/city from the monster. The plot however is much more involved than this. Beowulf comes in to rid of Grendel not only to be a hero, but because his father, King Hygelac, is in debt to King Hrothgar. As King Hrothgar took care of his father's "wirgild". Overall, Beowulf is a great heroic epic, but also seems to shed some light on some important facts and realities of that time; such as "wirgild", exile, and the importance and reliance on a strong social system.