This diploma thesis aims to classify the uses of as in the text of the Middle English romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from a formal and functional perspective. As has acquired a great number of functions through the process of grammaticalization. The theoretical part of the thesis firstly deals with the historical development of as from the Old English swā and ealswā. It then describes the uses of as in Middle English. In this period, as was found to function as an adverb, conjunction, preposition and a relative pronoun. Each of these uses can be further divided into a number of subtypes. The thesis subsequently summarizes the functions as can have in Present-Day English. The final sections of the theoretical overview briefly present the processes of grammaticalization and constructionalization, as these two processes have been instrumental in the development of as. The practical section is concerned with the analysis of all the instances of as in the chosen text. It classifies them and defines each type of use in more detail. The analysis also considers competing means of expressing the same function and comments on possible ambiguities. Furthermore, this section deals with the uses of as in the text from the perspective of their grammaticalization and also points out uses which are only...

In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur, King Arthur’s nephew, Sir Gawain, is presented as a troublesome figure whose vengefulness hastens the collapse of Camelot. This characterization is unsurprising in the light of traditional French depictions of Gawain, but it is distinctly at odds with a rival, Anglo-Scottish tradition that depicts him rather differently as a figure of moderation, wise counsel, and courtesy. Indeed, throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, this version of Gawain was used by a number of romance writers to explore themes of kingship, identity, and regionalism in England and Scotland. This thesis attempts to explain the complexities and contradictions of Gawain’s role in the Middle English and Middle Scots tradition. Chapter one establishes a “northern Gawain type”, drawing on thematic patterns in four northern Gawain romances: The Weddyng of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell, The Avowyng of Arthur, Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle, and The Knightly Tale of Golagros and Gawain. Gawain’s popularity in the north, coupled with similarities in characterization and narrative focus, mark him as an important regional figure. This discussion continues in the second chapter, which examines The Awntyrs off Arthure, a poem specifically concerned with Arthurian kingship and imperialism. In Scotland, Gawain is used in romances to explore pertinent contemporary concerns with the recent loss of Scotland’s kings and attitudes towards English expansion. The third chapter considers Gawain’s role in two Scottish romances, particularly, The Knightly Tale of Golagros and Gawain and Lancelot of the Laik. The final two chapters examine Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur. By exploring these narratives in the context of the “northern Gawain type,” these chapters offer new insights into Gawain’s literary significance for late medieval writers. This thesis offers a reconsideration of Gawain’s reputation in late medieval Middle English and Middle Scots literature. It suggests both why he was such a useful figure for the authors of the northern and Scottish romances and why Malory ultimately chose to reject their reading of him and followed instead the more critical and dismissive French tradition. The lasting legacy of Malory’s Gawain has influenced his reputation and representation in post-medieval Arthurian literature. Yet, his popularity in the north of England and Scotland during the late Middle Ages, and his symbolic significance in discussions of governance, make him a character deserving of rehabilitation in the pantheon of Arthurian knighthood.

Not available / text

No description available.

No description available.

Inaug.-diss.--Jena. / Lebenslauf. "Literaturverzeichnis": p. 67-68.

Missing page 58. Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / From the time of its first publication in 1864 interest in Pearl has steadily increased. In the late nineteenth century the poem, primarily because of its difficult dialect, was a scholar's curiosity. Today, thanks to carefully prepared editions, translations and critical studies by English, American, German, French, Italian, Frisian and Japanese scholars, Pearl has rightfully achieved international renown. A clearly discernible shift in critical attitudes accompanied this increase in interest. Early sentimental views of the poem and its author were gradually supplanted by more accurate historical and textual criticism with the result that recent critical opinion is of one mind in its emphasis upon multiple levels of meaning within the poem. This study also employs a combined historical-textual approach as it interprets Pearl by means of the medieval fourfold method. Beginning with a brief sketch of allegory in pre-Christian times, the origin and development of the fourfold system is chronologically defined and this definition, supplemented by textual criticism, supplies the basis for an understanding of the poem as a product of its time. After a review of previous Pearl scholarship the interpretation also demonstrates how the fourfold method provides a frame of reference in which previous divergent interpretations of the poem can be reconciled. [TRUNCATED]

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.