Looking For A Hero: The Development of the Christian Hero in English Literature
Date
2021-02-23
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Southern New Hampshire University
Abstract
The history of English literature is a history of cultural collision, fusion, and reappropriation. When the Germanic tribes who invaded England in the 5th century were converted to Christianity, their pagan ethos was reframed through a Christian lens, and a heroic literary and cultural tradition was born that reflected their spiritual and cultural outlook. The fusion of Germanic paganism and Christianity gave birth to the body of Anglo-Saxon literature, particularly Beowulf and “The Dream of the Rood.” As the Christianity of England matured, the Welsh legends of Arthur and the Round Table were appropriated to fashion a more mature heroic medieval heroic ethos, as expressed in such works as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Using the lens of New Historicism, this paper will trace the development of this heroic tradition, from the martial heroism of Beowulf, to the more explicitly spiritual heroism of Sir Gawain.
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