Sir Gawain and the Green Knight v. The Canterbury Tales

Part 2: Gawain's Sterling Character
Part 3: Perfect or Pedantic
Part4: Not So Honest After All

The diversity in classic literature is amazing. Even different pieces of literature that were written in the same country, at the same time in history, and by authors with similar worldviews, vary quite a bit. Last week, I wrote about Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales; this week, I am studying Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a poem written by an unknown contemporary of Chaucer. Though written in the same era, these two story poems are different in just about every way: in genre, style, and medium.

The Canterbury Tales are realistic literature. The plot is plausible and the setting was a common one at the time the work was written. Sir Gawain, however, is a fantasy story. Set in the time of King Arthur, Sir Gawain finds himself accepting a challenge by a giant green knight that lasts for a year and a day. The Green Knight challenges any man of King Arthur’s court to step forward, take the Knight’s huge battle-axe, and try to chop off his head. Then, the man must let the Green Knight do the same thing to him. Gawain succeeds in beheading the knight, but then the Knight picks up his head and carries it away, telling Gawain he must find his house and appear to finish the challenge in a year and a day. When Gawain embarks on his journey to find the Green Knight, he must resist temptation and prove himself honorable as well as complete the mysterious knight’s challenge. In the end, his purity saves him from the death stroke of the Green Knight. In this legend, unlike The Canterbury Tales, the plot and setting are mythical, and magic plays a significant role in the story’s development.

The styles of these two works are different as well, each one reflecting the plot and theme created by the author. The Canterbury Tales are very humorous, yet pointed, while the style of Gawain is more straightforward and dramatic. Even though the author did include a little bit of social criticism in his story, the overall style is designed to create a suspenseful mood. The plot does not lent itself to humor.

The poetic medium Chaucer used to create the humorous mood found in The Canterbury Tales is rhyme. At the time this was an unorthodox approach but it was also quite effective. Gawain’s author used a more traditional medium to create a historical and mythical mood. His poetry, like that of the author of Beowulf, is based primarily upon alliteration. This old-fashioned medium allowed the author to give his poem an aura of drama and magic. Despite the differences between The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain, both works are well written and effectively convey their respective messages. They illustrate different literary styles at their best.