浅析《高文爵士与绿衣骑士》中的骑士英雄高文_英语论文

A Study of Sir Gawain as a Chivalrous Hero in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

摘要

诗歌《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》写于14世纪，当时欧洲文学中盛行骑士精神和骑士浪漫题材。这首诗描写的是公元六世纪“圆桌骑士”时代的一位传奇英雄高文。

本文从骑士精神（制度）的角度来分析《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》这首中世纪浪漫诗中的两位主角之一——高文。结合当时对骑士制度的定义来看，高文在前往绿教堂旅途中的行为举止为其他骑士树立了一个好的榜样，但是离一位以身作则，遵循骑士准则和所有骑士美德的完美骑士来说仍然是有距离的。

在这篇论文中，笔者展示了在通往完美的过程中，高文是怎样成功地克服一些困难，又是怎样被另一些困难所阻碍，以及最后怎样接受真实自我的。本文还对作者的立意，即在那个文学和社会都推崇骑士精神的时代，选择塑造一个不完美的骑士，而不是模范骑士的原因进行了分析。

关键词：《高文爵士和绿衣骑士》高文 骑士精神 浪漫诗 人文主义

Abstract

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem written in the 14th century when chivalry and chivalric romance prevail in literature of Medieval Europe. This poem depicts a legendary hero Gawain in the time of Round Table which dates back to about 6th century. 

This paper, from the perspective of the chivalric tradition, analyzes Gawain, one of the two protagonists, in the medieval verse romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. According to the contemporary definition of chivalry, Gawain’s behavior during his journey to the Green Chapel sets a good example to the other knights in his time; however, Gawain is far from a flawless and perfect knight according to the codes of chivalry and all the knightly virtues. 

In this paper, the author attempts to demonstrate how Gawain tries, successfully and unsuccessfully, to overcome the obstacles during his journey to perfection, how he comes to accept the natural being of himself and the reason why the author depicts an imperfect hero rather than a paragon knight in the time when both literature and society value the code of chivalry. 

Key words: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Gawain; chivalry; romance; humanism