Arthurian themes 2

In our second set of readings the Arthurian themes continue, but they are of a more nostalgic air than actual Arthurian Legends. An example of this would be the Wife of Bath’s Tale when she turns the tale on its head in making the character of the Fairy Queen the hero of the story, much like Marie de France does in her story of Lanval. The knight is still supposed to be brave and noble, rescuing damsels in distress, but sometimes even they need rescued. Like many societies, Chaucer and Marie de France are looking back on the past with rose colored glasses, times when the Arthur Legends were not quite a happy and carefree as the picture they wish to paint, but they are using that rosy hue to their advantage making a point about the society of their modern era. This is especially true in the Wife of Bath’s Tale. She is making the point that a woman’s lot is better than it was then, but it is still not as good as it could be in the future. They are making the point that the knight/damsel relationship was never what it was talked up to be, and that in many ways their society has not been able to get past the idea that Arthur’s court was the pinnacle of English society.