Abstract
The fourteenth century romance, Gawain and the Green Knight, contains what is believed to be the earliest descriptions of Christmas feasting in English literature. The ostentatious displays at Camelot are interrupted by the arrival of a Green Knight, whose challenges demand that Gawain seek him out at the Green Chapel the following year. On his journey, Gawain stops at a castle and his host welcomes him and shares his “fasting” meals as well as the elaborate feasts of Christmas Day. The poem gives detailed descriptions of extravagant feasts, as well as accounts of Christian feasting which display resonances of earlier pagan rituals.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Routledge Companion to Literature and Food |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781138048430 |
| Publication status | Published - 28 Mar 2018 |
Publication series
| Name | Routledge literature companions |
|---|
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Profiles
-
Jon Mackley
- University of Northampton, Culture - Senior Lecturer in English
- Centre for Critical and Creative Writing
Person: Academic