Reading/Discussion Question for
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Part III
DEFINITION OF
ALLEGORY:
“An allegory is a
narrative fiction in which the agents and actions, and sometimes the setting as
well, are contrived to make coherent sense on the “literal” or primary, level
of signification, and at the same time to signify a second, correlated order of
agents, concepts, and events. We can
distinguish two main types: (1) historical and political allegory…and (2) the
allegory of ideas, in which the literal characters represent abstract concepts
and the plot exemplifies a doctrine or thesis…The central device in the second
type, the sustained allegory of ideas, is the personification of abstract entities such as virtues, vices, states
of mind, modes of life, and types of character” (from M.H. Abrams, A Glossary of Literary Terms).
YOUR RESPONSE:
After reading Parts
III, examine a section of the text (a short passage, no more than a page or
two) that you feel can be read allegorically.
Consider how the poet writes a poetic narrative that functions on two
levels, and what clues suggest his multiple meanings. What ideas or concepts are personified,
and what “doctrine or thesis” might your reading lead to? Write a developed response of at least a
full page (double spaced), though you can go to town if you wish.
NOTE: If you’re
stumped, consider nature/weather imagery, the various hunt episodes, and the
“challenge” that Gawain faces in the Lord’s castle.
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