Sir Gwaing, Finally

I had to force myself to stop reading "Sir Gwain & The Green Knight" after Part 1. Why? Well, as fun as it is to read, I knew I had much more reading to do. I'll go back to Sir Gwain to find out how he (or if?) defeats the Green Knight. I'm also hoping the story will tell me why the Knight is green. (note to B - I don't know if it has any reference to the Green Man...would be cool, thought).

Alliteration - one of my most favorite ways to write. Sir Gwain is full of alliteration! This style adds to the bounce and enjoyment of the piece. It also makes the writing memorable and recall particularly easy; "Bold boys bred there, in broils delighting" is easier to remember than "Courageous men grew up there", wouldn't you say? As well, the alliteration and tempo of the piece make it easy to become engrossed in the action. It becomes more than just a Fairy Tale - the piece comes to life, you are in the action, you become Sir Gwain (or the Knight). Fascinating work!

As I was reading the stanzas, and came to the "bob & wheel" I found myself almost stopping and reading those lines as slow and dramatic .... I suppose ending of one section, melting to the beginning of the next. I'm having difficulty explaining this. Perhaps it is the Shakespearean drama reviving itself in my head. The alliterative and expository stanzas which tell the story are "cut" with dramatic pauses to (1) transition to the next part of the narrative; or (2) reiterate the main idea in the previous stanza; or (3) offer more perspective on the story as a whole.

Enough studious stuff...Some words and phrases I found interesting:

Line 44: "For the feast was in force full fifteen days," Why fifteen? Fourteen is alliterative, too - is it because of the 'rule of 3'?

Line 53: "comeliest king" I am hoping that at the time, to be a comely king was a compliment, and not as the word is used now - to be plain.

Lines 115 thru 129: I had the impression of a Dinner and a Show (humour)

Line 297: "twelvemonth and a day" In many Pagan (quite a bit in Wiccan & Druid) religions, schooling of the religion is said to take (require) a year and a day. I don't know if there is any relation here; it would be interesting to find out.

These are my thoughts and insights on Sir Gwain. Next up, Wife of Bath from Canterbury Tales!

Cheers!