I want you to read the first third of this text, but we will not have time to explore its full complexity in class. I’ll ask questions up until the episode just before that with Blancheflor and we’ll pick up from there on Friday.
Please answer at least three questions.
1. We have quite a long prologue to this romance. As with Erec and Enide, the prologue always directs the reader toward the specific “path” down which she or he is about to embark. What path does Chrétien send us down here? What themes does he raise here that you think may be necessary in understanding this romance? Reference specific points of the prologue in your response.
2. Describe the first scene concerning Perceval’s encounter with the knights in the Waste Forest. How does Chrétien portray Perceval? And the knights? What image of knighthood does the text portray? And what is Perceval’s perception of knighthood? How do these portrayals conflict with one another? Why do you think Chrétien does this?
3. Analyze the episode between Perceval and his mother. What is her reaction? What information does she try to impart to her son? Why do you think he reacts the way he does? Discuss his departure – how should he have behaved?
4. What does Perceval do in order to become a knight? How do you see this as problematic? Reference specific scenes or quotes from the text in your response. (We have the scene with the “Tent Maiden,” the scene in Arthur’s court, and the killing / murder of the Red Knight).
5. Discuss the scene with Gornemant of Gohort. How does the advice enter into a dialogue with previous advice? Why this need for repetition?
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2. Chretien portrays Perceval as like a little boy in a toy store he is so amazed of what he is seeing. The image of knighthood being showed is the glory of the image of being a knight. Perceval perception of knighthood is he thinks they are god because how amazing they look. They conflict with each other because Perceval was not ever suppose to see a knight and he thinks they are from god or something and that is a very odd thing just because of their appearance. Chretien does this to show a different image of knights.
ReplyDelete3. Perceval mother reaction is that she is very sad because she knew once Perceval saw a knight he would want to be one. She tells Perceval about his families past about his dad and brothers being knights and them dieing from it. She doesn't want to lose him too. He is all she has. He should have gave it a few weeks before he left to become a knight.
4. Perceval does some things that aren't to smart in order to become a knight. This can be a problem because his steps to becoming one aren't smart because at one point he just takes the maiden's ring from her when she is in the tent. Another he just challenges anybody which isn't good because he is not experienced yet. In the text he goes up to the red knight and challenges him and luckily hits the red knight in the eye and blows his brains out.