The Endurance of Arthurian Legends

After reading just a few tales about Arthurian Legends, one can see many reasons why they have endured over the years. They posses timeless themes which make them relatable and endearing to any generation, especially when romance is involved. These legends have cemented themselves even further in current society in their adaptation into satires. Not only can people appreciate the serious and mature aspects of Arthurian Legends, but they can also recognize how silly some of the legends can seem.

Without a doubt, romance and magic are major factors as to why Arthurian Legends have maintained their appeal. Romance is presented in Sir Gawain and the Lady Ragnell, in which Gawain marries a woman who is under a curse that has made her grotesque and deformed, but breaks the curse through his good heart and pure intentions. At the end of the story it is said "Gawain took his new bride in his arms. And thus, in wonder and in joy, the marriage of Gawain and the lady Ragnell began." (Sir Gawain and The Lady Ragnell) The idea of magic and mysticism also plays a major role in keeping many generations interested. In Tennyson's Lady of Shalott the reader learns about a curse which forbids the lady from looking directly out into the world around her. The author writes, "The mirror crack'd from side to side/ "The curse is come upon me," cried/ The Lady of Shalott". (Tennyson) Because the readers know that scenes like this can't really happen in life, focusing on magic in Arthurian Legends allows for fantasies to manifest.

Another idea that really solidifies Arthurian legends into today's culture is Monty Python's interpretation of King Arthur's search for the Holy Grail. They poke fun at the knights brash courage when the knights in the movie shout "RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!", (Monty Python and the Holy Grail) whenever trouble appears. This interpretation makes ancient stories fun to learn about again and it has definitely made itself a standard among any Medieval history buffs. Even though comedy has been a factor in preserving the continued interest in Arthurian Legends, there are many others and I'm sure people will be reading them for years to come.

Medieval Romance

Personally, I don't mind reading the medieval romance stories that we have been reading lately. Although they seem a bit far-fetched and extravagent to me, the themes at the core of the material are endearing. In "Sir Gawain and The Lady Ragnell", Sir Gawain weds Lady Ragnell so she will tell King Arthur the answer to a riddle that Sir Gromer has given him. He acts graciuosly toward her even though she is grotesque, and this kindness reveals to him a beatiful young girl. Not only does he break the first spell, which allows her to be beautiful half the time, but he braks the second spell, which allows her to be beautiful all the time. When given the choice between having Lady Ragnell beautiful by day or by night, Gawain says "It is a choice I can not make, my dear Ragnell. If concerns you. Whatever you choose to be- fair by day or fair by night- I will willingly abide by it." This shows his unconditional love and acceptance of Lady Ragnell, a value that anyone must admire.

Is Beowulf Selfish?

I do believe Beowulf is selfish in his constant quest for fame. It seems that all he is ever concerned about is becoming famous and accomplishing feats simply to prove he is better than everyone else. He never says he wants to defeat Grendel or help Hrothgar because it's the right thing to do. It seems that to Beowulf, there is no good or bad, only strong or weak. The poet writes, "But Beowulf longed only for fame, leaped back into battle" (1529-1531) Beowulf does not leap back into battle because he longed to conquer evil, or because he knew it was the right thing to do. He leaped into battle once again so that his name would be remembered by posterity.
In my opinion, people should gain fame because they want to do the right thing, not do the right thing because they want to gain fame.

Book Cover Selection

I think the cover that best illustrates the concept of The Fifth Child is the third one. It depicts a young boy with dissheveled hair that is "scribbled" in all different directions on top of his akwardly shaped head. But what really jumps out at the viewer are the child's green-yellow eyes rimmed in an even brighter yellow hue. This detail lets the reader know for sure that the child is Ben, because Lessing emphasizes his menacing eyes when she writes, "They were focussed greeny-yellow eyes, like lumps of soapstone. She had been waiting to exchange looks with the creature who, she had been sure, had been trying to hurt her, but there was no recognition there," (Lessing, 49). This cover also looks somewhat blotchy and has no set pattern of design, which can be seen as a metaphor for Ben's personality. His own mother finds it impossible to relate to him and can not understand his psychotic tendencies. Ben's behavior alienates his brothers and sisters, and everyone he meets is repelled by his personality, just as the uneven pattern repels the eye. Although all four covers evoke emotion, I think the third portrays Lessing's idea the best.

Correlation Between Frankenstein and Mary Shelley's Personal Life

The idea that Mary Shelley's personal life affected her writing makes a lot of sense. After reading her biography, the reader sees how Shelley's life was tormented and ridden with suffering, just as Victor's and his monster's were. Her upbringing also might have rendered her an oucast amongst others her age, as the monster's creation did him. She grew up around prolific writers and thinkers with relatively unstable personal lives, which made her quite different from the mainstream public. This is outlined in the article Frankenstein: Monster Still Alive 183 Years Later, when Christopher Schildt says "But suffering and loss and pain, the feeling of being ostracized- that I think she knew very well...".
Not only was Shelley publicly ostracized, as Frankenstein's monster was, but she was also internally tormented by the loss of many of her children. Victor constantly tortures himself because of his creation, and although he was not publicly punished, the constant burden of his creation was punishment just the same.
With all of this said, it is easy to see how the theme of Frankenstein was influenced by Mary Shelley's personal life, and her real-life struggles add heart-wrenching authenticity to it.

Frankanstein Post #1

Personally, I enjoyed reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The struggles that each of the characters face are universal, and even though the circumstances are hard to relate to, the emotion at the core of it all is easy to understand. Frankenstein's creature contemplates mankinds morals, and points out some of society's hypocricies. It is easy to see how a new creation could be confused about the idea that possesions are what shows the successes of man instead of intangible virtues, and how quickly a seemingly understaning society could be so judgemental. Shelley illustrated this point well in the creatures naievte, and it was a refreshing perspective for the reader.