Lidón Prades Yerves
Universitat Jaume I
Supernatural characters are central to Arthurian romance. Several works in this tradition include episodes in which the Knights of the Round Table are visited or challenged by supernatural characters. In many cases, these characters are taken from exempla. Although in continental Europe exempla became popular as part of mediaeval sermons, in Britain the exemplum flourished in the context of vernacular poetry. However, the influence of exempla in Arthurian romances written in Middle English has received little scholarly attention.
This paper is concerned with the influence of exempla in the stanzaic Morte Arthur, The Awntyrs off Arthure and Sir Amadace. The works under scrutiny contain episodes involving a dream, a mother and a knight, all of which are rooted in exemplary ghost tales. Our aim is to analyse the ways in which characters and events originally intended for the edification of layfolk were, in the context of vernacular Arthurian literature, put to use in order to criticise the dominant classes and endorse the sentiments of less privileged sectors of society. This analysis will contribute to our better understanding of the way in which exempla and romance intersected in different cultural contexts, stressing the ways in which medieval authors denounced social injustice.