I do think this was a challenging read, following what was happening and who they were talking about was really hard. I was extremely confused the first 5 or so pages. Keeping track of characters was challenging but I guess Lancelot and Sir Gawain were most important of the Knights so they were easily followed.
I also noticed the use of dwarfs in this story just like in Eric and Enide. They are perceived as bad dwarfs...this remind me of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, the dwarfs in those books/movies are greedy and mean but they also are caring.
The cart idea was really cool in my opinion, he wasn't like every other night who rides around on a horse. He had a cart hence his name The Knight of the Cart. I'm not sure why he was frowned upon for using the cart but I really liked the idea. It seems like a convenient way of getting around but then again I'm not a Knight.
Overall, the read was alright. I didn't like being confused in the beginning because it kept me from wanting to go through with it. But I'm tired of all the intense loving and extreme notions of love.
I think that it's easy to forget that these were extremely different times. Back then, shame and dishonor was a huge part of their culture. The world was a much smaller place (therefore, not exactly "plenty" of fish out there) so word got around. I haven't quite finished the story yet, but I know that the ride in the cart was pretty significant. So far, every place he's come has ridiculed him. The "knight of the cart" becomes his identity until he does some brave, heroic thing to prove himself worthy of honor. If you recall, the story explains carts as where they kept prisoners and wrongdoers. They put the carts in the middle of the village to display the shame to everyone. The knight never actually did anything wrong, but of course who would believe him? And to add insult to injury, the cart was being pulled by a dwarf. Not the best circumstance. And to be a knight shamed by a cart? Bye-bye glory. Another cool thing is that we don't get his name until near the end of the story. If Dr. MB hadn't told us that the story was about Lancelot, i probably wouldn't have guessed it at all until the story told me. He spends the entire story proving his worthiness by defeating all who challenge him, and suffering all these hardships. Gradually, he gains respect, and we learn his name only when he proves himself worthy of honor. Yeah, his original quest was to save the Queen, but that would just be boring. He has to prove himself too! It adds a deeper element about honor that I think we're meant to explore. It makes the story not-so-cliche.
ReplyDeleteI really admire Lancelot in this tale. He sacrificed his own honor, which is a huge thing in these stories, to save his lady friend. Just by jumping on that cart, knowing what it would mean, he deemed himself trash essentially. Although he could have avoided all this by taking care of his horse. Just saying. The poor creature. That's where I won't give him the benefit of the doubt.
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