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See Article History Alternative Title: “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” Sir Gawayne and the Grene Knight, also spelled Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, Middle English alliterative poem of unknown authorship, dating from the second half of the 14th century (perhaps 1375). It is a chivalric romance that tells a tale of enchantment in an Arthurian setting. Its hero, Sir Gawayne (Gawain), is presented as a devout but humanly imperfect Christian who wins a test of arms, resists temptation by a lord’s wife, but succumbs to an offer of invulnerability. The poem is technically brilliant. Its alliterative lines (some 2,500) are broken up into irregular stanzas by short rhyming passages; they are tautly constructed, and the vocabulary is astonishingly rich—influenced by French in the scenes at court but strengthened by many dialect words, often of Scandinavian origin, that belonged to northwest England. The blend of sophisticated atmosphere, psychological depth, and vivid language produces an effect superior to that found in any other work of the time. Preserved in the same manuscript with Sir Gawayne were three other poems, now generally accepted as the work of its author. These are two alliterative poems of moral teaching, Patience and Purity, and an intricate elegiac poem, Pearl. The author of Sir Gawayne and the other poems is frequently referred to as “the Pearl Poet.” See also Gawain. Learn More in these related Britannica articles: English literature: The revival of alliterative poetry …anonymous author: the chivalric romance Sir Gawayne and the Grene Knight, two homiletic poems called Patience and Purity (or Cleanness), and an elegiac dream vision known as Pearl, all miraculously preserved in a single manuscript dated about 1400. The poet of Sir Gawayne far exceeded the other alliterative writers in… girdle In Sir Gawayne and the Grene Knight, the Arthurian knight Gawain accepts the gift of a girdle of invulnerability, but he forsakes his honour as a Christian knight to do so. Debtors declaring bankruptcy at one time took it off in open court, and French law… Chrétien de Troyes …material for the 14th-century poem Sir Gawayne and the Grene Knight.… History at your fingertips Sign up here to see what happened On This Day, every day in your inbox! Email address By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice. Thank you for subscribing! Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Similar Topics Beowulf Bhagavadgita A Visit from St. Nicholas The Divine Comedy The Raven The Rime of the Ancient Mariner The Waste Land Metamorphoses Howl The Road Not Taken Inspire your inbox – Sign up for daily fun facts about this day in history, updates, and special offers. 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