Vanaria,+Leanne

Introduction
Hello, my name is Leanne. I'm a psychology major and I'm in a sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma. I've switched my major from English, but sometimes I still consider switching back to it. Someday, I hope to be an accomplished author and open my own tea and cupcake cafe. I know, its a stretch.

 "Ruminate on the End of Beowulf"
 The ending of Beowulf was almost tragic due to his death. However, I'm not sure that I really felt bad about it because he led the life he ultimately wanted to live. Beowulf was a very honest man who chose other people's well-being over his own safety. He spent all of his life obtaining honor, even when it meant risking his life several times. I saw the ending as a sort of tragedy because he had worked so hard to obtain his honor and then died just to continue to prove himself. In addition, he really wanted to do it because he felt that it was something he needed to do for himself, not just for others. Beowulf sensed that he belonged in that fight with the dragon. In the end, I was happy that Beowulf was so greatly acknowledged for his lifetime of efforts.

 "The Wife's Lament"
 At first when I read this, I originally had pictured the woman suffering the loss of a man in her life. It really confused me that she could feel such a loss, so I started to interpret it as perhaps she had lost her son and thus felt the need to be exiled. Although there are references in the poem that suggest that a man had sent her away, I thought that maybe that could be a sort of conscience telling her to banish herself. Then, after our class discussion (and subsequently after our quiz haha) it donned on me that perhaps she was banished by her lover. This makes a lot more sense because she shows a clear sadness over someone she has left behind, but she makes this seem as though she has left someone she has been romantically involved with rather than a platonic relationship.

The Art of Courtly Love
I did some research and found that courtly love, aka in medieval France as "fine love" or fin amour, originated in the eleventh century.

"**Aristocratic:** As its name implies, courtly love was practiced by noble lords and ladies; its proper milieu was the royal palace or court (The above quote came from the following website: http://condor.depaul.edu/dsimpson/tlove/courtlylove.html )
 * Ritualistic:** Couples engaged in a courtly relationship conventionally exchanged gifts and tokens of their affair. The lady was wooed according to elaborate conventions of etiquette (cf. "courtship" and "courtesy") and was the constant recipient of songs, poems, bouquets, sweet favors, and ceremonial gestures. For all these gentle and painstaking attentions on the part of her lover, she need only return a short hint of approval, a mere shadow of affection. After all, she was the exalted domina--the commanding "mistress" of the affair; he was but her servus--a lowly but faithful servant
 * Secret:** universe unto themselves--a special world with its own places (e.g., the secret rendezvous), rules, codes, and commandments.Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy. The foundation for their affair--indeed the source of its special aura and electricity--was that the rest of the world (except for a few confidantes or go-betweens) was excluded. In effect, the lovers composed a
 * Adulterous:** "Fine love"--almost by definition--was extramarital. Indeed one of its principle attractions was that it offered an escape from the dull routines and boring confinements of noble marriage (which was typically little more than a political or economic alliance for the purpose of producing royal offspring). The troubadours themselves scoffed at marriage, regarding it as a glorified religious swindle. In its place they exalted their own ideal of a disciplined and decorous carnal relationship whose ultimate objective was not crude physical satisfaction, but a sublime and sensual intimacy.
 * Literary:** Before it established itself as a popular real-life activity, courtly love first gained attention as a subject and theme in imaginative literature. Ardent knights, that is to say, and their passionately adored ladies were already popular figures in song and fable before they began spawning a host of real-life imitators in the palace halls and boudoirs of medieval Europe. (Note: Even the word "romance"--from Old Frenchromanz--began life as the name for a narrative poem about chivalric heroes. Only later was the term applied to the distinctive love relationship commonly featured in such poems.)"

Courtly love is based on the relationship between a knight and his lord's lady. The knight was expected to treat the fair lady as if he would treat his lord. Thus, she would recieve all of the same courtesies and obedience.

"Pick an Important Passage & Talk About It"
I really enjoyed the passage that brought up whether or not Gawain had sinned. I went to that extra credit group last Thursday and Rob brought up how controversial it it. When I was first reading through this, I hadn't given it a lot of thought. However, when we started brainstorming ideas about how this challenged current versus medieval norms, it really peaked my interest. Gawain may have sinned for wearing the girdle because he lied and broke the trust of Lord Bertilak (which would have been a medieval sin). However, from my perspective, it would have been an equally bad sin for him to essentially commit suicide. The fact that he was offered a chance to live, through the girdle, meant that he did not have to forfeit his life to the Green Knight. I'm thinking that I might do my paper on this and relate it to the original sin! :]

"Pick your favorite pilgrim. Why?"
I liked the prioress because I thought that it was interesting how she should have represented pure good and modesty, but instead it almost seemed like she was putting on an act. This was shown in the way she presented her manners; it seemed like she wanted to brag about how proper she was, rather than be proper because she wanted to be. I thought it was ironic to read about such a conceited nun because they're supposed to be very selfless people.

-In class we discussed the pin she wears that says "Love concurs all". I thought that perhaps this could hint that she was once a lover and tragedy led her to a monastery.

"Why is the 'Miller's Tale' a fabliaux/farce"?
The Miller's Tale is a fabliaux/ farce because it is a comedy that consists of perverted humor and tricks. The wife cheats on her husband with a man named Nicholas, and then her and Nicholas play tricks on her husband and Absalon. They are actually able to fool Allyson's husband that there will be a giant flood and get him to hide in a barrel. Then, they completely enrage Absalon when they trick him into kissing Allyson's butt. This story is all about a comedy of adultery.

In-Class Discussion (Groups)
Throughout our readings, I feel that religion and law has really faced more adversities than progress. This is because both battled a power struggle and neither wanted to back down. The church mainly dictated it's countries, thus taking over any law. However, this got complicated when royalty wanted a say in any matter because they were usually forced to go through the church. This changed somewhat when Henry VIII put himself in charge of the church; he was able to grant himself any freedoms he wished. While this can be seen as a sort of "progress", I feel like it caused more harm because this got rid of any sort of checks and balances system.

Kelly Stowell
Today, I walked into class a little late and almost left because I thought I had walked into the wrong room. It was a little comical because the woman at the front of the room was performing a monologue and I had thought that she was just crazy. It was only after I had sat down that I realized she was only pretending to be crazy.