Abstract
3 손병용 로망스의 정치성: ｢기사 이야기｣를
중심으로 Medieval and Early Modern English Studies
Volume 22 No. 2 (2014) 61 ~ 81
[Son Byeong-yong: The Political Nature of Romance:
Focusing on Knight’s Tale]
This study aims to grasp the meaning of political nature of the
medievalromance. The romance has a paradigm that the knight rides
out to seek anadventure. Northrop Frye says that romance has
superior characters and anarchetype that support the contemporary
social structure. Often, romanceprovides its reader or audience
with the nostalgia for the past to provoke ameaningful challenge
to the present. Frederic Jameson has an interest on whatfor Frye
is a deformation or deviation from the archetype of romance. He
thinksthat romance has a historical and ideological context, and
reflects a particularideological context. Geraldine Heng
recognizes romance as “the name ofdesiring narrational modality
that coalesces from the extant cultural matrix.”She stresses on an
expansive meaning of romance as “the material concretionof the
collective will of cultural agents and forces.”From these
perspectives, I try to focus on Knight Tale and examine
thepolitical context of Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of the Tale.
He was a son ofrich merchant and served as an bureaucrat, courtier
and diplomat. He wentthrough a period of turbulence in England in
14th century. Treacherousbehavior was punished severly. Writing
and even talking against the royalfamily were punished. In this
context, Chaucer was very cautious to reveal hisown political
message. Therefore, to lessen the burden and avoid a
politicalcontroversy, he appropriated and transformed the
convention of romance.
The adventure that romance knight seeks to carry out and
achieveself-examination is not given to Palamon and Arcite. The
idealized love ofromance between knight and his lady has no
interactive relationship. Instead,Theseus, who reminds Edward Ⅲ
according to Derek Brewer, is represented asmerciful and powerful
king. He shows mercy to begging ladies and defeats OldCreon.
However, he imprison Palamon and Arcite, and never intends to
setthem free. After Palamon and Arcite come out of prison and
fight in the forest,he makes a suggestion of tournament for winner
to get Emilye, but hissuggestion causes a great misfortune,
Arcite’s death. Theseus turns the criticismtoward the Providence
of God and arranges the marriage between Palamon andEmilye. He
first considers the allegiance with other countries and security
of hiskingdom, and orders them to marry. Regardless of their
intentions, Palamonand Emilye get married. The narrator says that
they lived in bliss, in richnessand in health. However, this happy
ending is an only conventional romanceending. By using and
transforming convention of the mode, Chaucer makesPalamon, Arcite,
and Emilye victims of romance. Rather, he stresses on Theseusand
provides a model of king. Chaucer confidential sends his political
messagethat king should use his political ability to tide over a
difficult situation andvalue the opinion of Parliament.
Key words: Geoffrey Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, Knight’s Tale,
Political Nature of Romance