The twin demons of aristocratic society in Sir Gowther

Abstract

Sir Gowther is a 700-line narrative probably originating about 1400 in the North Midlands. It is conspicuous for that surface crankiness and drastic speed which are often found in medieval English verse romances. The peculiarity of Sir Gowther is that it focuses key anxieties of society's dominant group at such a pitch as to project a kind of worst-case threat to dynastic stability. The questions that loom dramatically in this narrative concern the state of society as well as the state of the soul. It begins with warnings about the power of the devil. It then introduces a society wedding between a Duke and a bride who seem to have stereotypical credentials for producing noble heirs.

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