World Literature Unit 3 Exam Folklore, Chivalric Romance, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Stories that explain specific aspects of life or the natural world, usually in terms of supernatural forces or beings.

Myth

A stock phrase inserted to describe a particular person or thing that recurs in a poem, generally in an epic.

Homeric epithets

A culture's general beliefs, customs, and stories passed along primarily by word of mouth

Folklore

A type of prose and verse narrative that was popular in the noble courts of high medieval and early modern Europe.

Chivalric romance

A type of simile common in traditional epics in which the vehicle of the comparison is described at considerable length.

Epic similes

A collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition

Mythology

A long stylized narrative poem celebrating the deeds of a great national or ethnic hero of legend.

Epic

A folktale set in an indefinite time and place and containing an element of the fantastic and magical.

Fairy tales

A brief fanciful story that embodies a particular moral.

Fable

A Code of Chivalry was documented in an epic poem called .................... .

The Song of Roland

Greek mythology are stories concerning what three different areas?

gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks

The .................... was the oldest epic poem recorded.

Epic of Gilgamesh

Who or what is Gringlet?

Gawain's horse

Who is the author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?

Anonymous

authored "Snow White," "Little Red Riding Hood"

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

authored the Iliad and the Odyssey

Homer

"The Boy Who Cried Wolf," and "The Crow and the Pitcher"

Aesop

Describe the mood of the inhabitants of Camelot at the beginning of the story.

festive; celebratory

"The Little Mermaid," and "The Snow Queen"

Hans Christian Andersen

What does Gawain go to the chapel for after the third temptation?

for confession

Other than the girdle, what is the physical sign of Gawain's unfaithfulness?

scar on neck

Where did Gawain go when the host's wife left him each time?

to mass

How many blows did the Green Knight take at Gawain? What happened on the last one?

Three; a nick for unfaithfulness

Describe the five characteristics of the Green Knight.

1. massive in size "half-giant"

2. handsome "despite the bulk and brawn of his body, his stomach and waist were slender and sleek"

3. gear and garments were green

4. bushy green bear and hair

5. green skin

When the Green Knight heaved into the hall, he held an .................... in one hand and a .................... in the other.

axe, holly cluster

Why does Gawain accept the girdle and keep it concealed?

He thinks it will save his life.

What two moral failings does Gawain pronounce against himself?

cowardice and covetousness

What challenge does the Green Knight present to King Arthur's Court?

The Green Knight challenges anyone to strike him a blow on his neck with his axe - provided that he can return the blow a year and a day later.

Why was the green Knight sent to King Arthur's Court? Who sent him?

To test and expose the true nature of King Arthur's "honorable" men. Morgan the Fay

Describe five characteristics of Sir Gawain.

1. humble

2. courteous/respectful

3. Arthur's nephew

4. young

5. strong Christian faith