THE FOUNTAIN AS A BIBLICAL SYMBOL IN THE CHIVALRY NOVEL YVAIN – THE KNIGHT WITH THE LION
THE FOUNTAIN AS A BIBLICAL SYMBOL IN THE CHIVALRY NOVEL YVAIN – THE KNIGHT WITH THE LION

Author(s): Nicolae Hurduzeu
Subject(s): History, Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Middle Ages, Theology and Religion, French Literature, Biblical studies
Published by: Editura Eikon
Keywords: fountain; medieval literature; Bible; symbol; Middle Age; Church;
Summary/Abstract: Theological works were the prevailing literary works during the early Middle Ages. For western Europe at that time, the Catholic Church was the intellectual center of society and was, by far, the most productive source of literary works. The main purpose of these works was to increase the religious influence of the church on people and to guide the behavior of the audience. Literature was also used as a means of propaganda for the values and deeds of a king or a people, as was the case with the chansons de geste. Many medieval literary works, from the chanson de geste and finishing to the chivalry novel, have a high theological symbolism and many details of the text may be used as a support for various reading methods. The central figure of the chivalry novel emphasized was the knight-errant, bringing forth a new set of virtues, different from the warrior’s heroism and fidelity towards the senior. The knight–errant was always on the quest to punish injustice, help the poor, and serve God and one lady of his heart. Spite all obstacles, the real quest of the knight-errant was spiritual perfection. His journey was full of fictional adventures set in the medieval west. Exile and madness, decay and redemption, as well as a perpetual journey are specific features of mythical characters revived in the medieval characters. The novel Yvain- the Knight with the Lion of Chretien de Troyes is full of biblical symbols. The present article aims to emphasize the biblical symbolism of the fountain, considered the source of new perspectives, of a new destiny, as well as a passage towards a new stage in the life of Yvain.

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