Mackley, J. S. (2016) Sir Gawain and the ritual process. In: Hulubas, A. and Repciuc, I. (eds.) The Rites of Passage Time after Time :. Isai: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Press. pp. 333-349.
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | In the Middle English Romance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is offered a challenge to strike his opponent, the Green Knight, and then to receive a return blow a year later. The challenge and the consequences of Gawain’s actions, when considered through the lens of Arnold van Gennep’s Rites of Passage (as well as some of the sources that informed van Gennep’s study), highlight aspects of the ritual process. These elements include a magico‐religious fraternity, receiving of (and being received as) a stranger in a new environment, vegetation rites, covenant pledges and separation and inclusion rituals. The text of Gawain demonstrates that he undertakes a form of pre‐liminal testing in hostile terrains, while the Green Knight’s second test represents liminal testing and transition, and Gawain returns to Camelot for a postliminal rite of incorporation. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Gawain, Green Knight, separation and inclusion ritual, vegetation rites, covenant pledges. |
| Creators: | Mackley, J S |
| Editors: | Hulubas, Adina and Repciuc, Ioana |
| Publisher: | Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Press |
| Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: | Faculties > Faculty of Education & Humanities > English and Creative Writing |
| Date: | 23 December 2016 |
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Page Range: | pp. 333-349 |
| Title of Book: | The Rites of Passage Time after Time : |
| Place of Publication: | Isai |
| Number of Pages: | 17 |
| Language: | English |
| ISBN: | 978-606-714-317-1 |
| Status: | Published / Disseminated |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Related URLs: | |
| URI: | http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/13538 |
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