THE GAWAIN-POET
Dr. Brendan O’Connell (oconneb2@tcd.ie)
Hilary Term
This one-semester course focuses on the works of a remarkable medieval poet, the author
of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In addition to his most celebrated work, he is believed
to be the author of three other exceptional Middle English poems: Pearl, Cleanness, and
Patience. All four works survive in a unique copy, and we will consider each poem in the
order preserved in this manuscript. Pearl, a poetic masterpiece, is a father’s moving lament
for his lost daughter and a profound statement of the gulf between the physical and
spiritual, the human and the divine. In sharp contrast, Cleanness offers a startling,
apocalyptic vision of mass death and destruction, portraying human depravity and divine
retribution in unforgettable depictions of the biblical Flood and the destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah. Altogether more witty and playful, Patience tells another biblical narrative:
the story of Jonah and the Whale. This miniature masterpiece describes one man’s hopeless
and comic struggle with his destiny, and in many ways anticipates the final poem in the
manuscript, the splendid Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Beginning with a Christmas game
in which the uncanny Green Knight presents Arthur’s court with a lethal challenge, this
wonderful narrative charts the fortunes of its hero, Sir Gawain, as he navigates a world full
of danger, temptation and unwelcome revelations. While each poem will be considered in
its own right, we will also highlight ways in which each text illuminates its neighbours, and
ask what features unify the output of this brilliant but elusive master of medieval literature.
If you have any queries about this course, please feel free to email me at oconneb2@tcd.ie.
Texts
The Gawain manuscript, which is held in the British Library, is available online through the
excellent Cotton Nero A.x Project at the University of Calgary: http://gawain.ucalgary.ca/
A complete edition of the poems is essential. Suitable editions include:
Andrew, Malcolm and Ronald Waldron (eds), The Complete Poems of the Pearl Manuscript:
Pearl, Cleanness, Patience, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 5th edn (Exeter: University of
Exeter Press, 2007). This edition has excellent notes and glossary; while all texts are to be
read in the original, the 5th edition also includes a very good prose translation on CD-ROM,
which may prove useful. It is the best edition, and offers better value than cheaper copies.
Anderson, J.J. (ed), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Cleanness, Patience (Everyman,
1996). Widely available and inexpensive, this edition is adequate, but the notes are not as
helpful as Andrew and Waldron.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:
1. Identify and describe the genres employed by the Gawain-poet, including dreamvision, romance, homily and exemplum.
2. Employ a range of interpretive strategies using critical vocabulary appropriate to the
study of medieval literature.
3. Evaluate the importance of literary form and metre in interpreting medieval poetry.
4. Read the poems in Middle English with proficiency and competence.
5. Analyse the impact of key historical events and movements on the works of the
Gawain-poet.