Malory, Le Morte dArthur - Second Assignment

Please read the following:

• The Wikipedia article on the "Lancelot-Grail" cycle of stories. This is a short article about the French prose originals;
• The Wikipedia article on the "Post-Vulgate Cycle." This was Malory's main source
• The Section of the Morte dArthur Wikipedia page on Books VI and VII, which starts here:
• "from The Noble Tale of the Sankgreal" (110-160 in the Broadview text);
• The Tale of Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere (161-245).

We will concentrate on the portrayal of Launcelot.

Note that I don't use the word "character of Launcelot" since "character" today means "psychological makeup," a concept foreign to the Middle Ages.

During the Middle Ages, and certainly in the Arthurian stories and in Malory, a person is portrayed morally, as reflecting certain moral virtues or failing to reflect them, as everyone does fail in some way. (Or, of course, as reflecting certain vices -- but that's not relevant in today's readings).

Pick three passages in the first reading (Sankgreal) and three pasages in the second reading (Launcelot and Guinevere) were Launcelot's behavior is depicted as reflecting, or failing to reflect, the Medieval Christian ideas that you have become familiar with in this class.

Written Assignment: Identify these six passages by page number. Discuss each of them briefly -- not summary, but how the Medieval literary tropes we have discussed are used in the passages to depict Launcelot as a knight.

Email to me and to your group.