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Xerox University Microfilms 300 Morth 2a«b Rote Aim Alter, WcMswi 4*106 i 76-3419 ' DYKSTRA, Timothy Eugene, 1946- HUMOR IN THE MIDDLE ENGLISH METRICAL ROMANCES. The Ohio State Universityt Ph.D., 1975 Literature, general XSTOX University MicrofilmsAnn , Arbor. Michigan 46106 0 Copyright by Timothy Eugene Dykstra 1975 THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. HUMOR IN THE MIDDLE ENGLISH METRICAL ROMANCES DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Timothy Eugene Dykstra, B.A., M.A. The Ohio State University 1975 Reading Committee: Approved By Christian K. Zacher Alan W. Brown Advis« David 0. Frantz Department of English ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the help of those who did so much to make this study possible. Professor James R. Kincaid offered bibliographical assistance. Professor Walter Scheps read early drafts of the dissertation and offered several helpful comments. I also want to thank Professor Christian K. Zacher for accepting a challenge under unusual circumstances, for the meticulous care with which he studied the text, and for the incisive suggestions which clarified much which had been cloudy before. Mr. Robert Kolton offered thoughtful support throughout the entire project. Most particularly I am indebted to my wife, Nancy, for without her the task could never have been done. ii VITA April, 10, 1946 . Born - Gary, Indiana 1968 .......... B.A., Hope College, Holland, Michigan 1968-1973 . Teaching Associate, Department of English, The Ohio State Univer­ sity, Columbus, Ohio 1973............ M.A., Department of English, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1973-1975 . Teaching Associate, Department of English, The Ohio State Univer­ sity, Columbus, Ohio FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field Old and Middle English Language and Literature, Professors Walter Scheps and Christian K. Zacher Minor Fields Renaissance Literature Eighteenth-Century Literature Nineteenth-Century American Literature TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................... ii VITA .................................................... iii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION .................................... 1 II. CHARACTER H U M O R ................................ 12 III. SOCIAL HUMOR .................. ................ 43 IV. SEXUAL HUMOR .................................... 79 V. DARK HUMOR ........................................ 114 VI. PARADOXICAL HUMOR IN SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT ...................................... 142 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................... 158 iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Someone embarking on a study of humor in the Middle English metrical romances must first assure his reader that there is in fact something to examine. Among scholars there has been a general assumption that the romances have very little if any humor. This assumption is so general that the issue is hardly even raised, and only in passing when it is.l While it is true that humorous incidents do not dom­ inate the genre, it is not true that these works are alto­ gether humorless. As one reads the romances carefully he can identify literally hundreds of humorous incidents scattered throughout the narratives. There are, however, a number of difficulties presented by the material, which significantly influence any examina­ tion of these humorous incidents and which must be outlined briefly before we actually begin that study. First, the amount of material one must handle is massive: there are about one hundred romances and the narratives themselves can run into thousands of lines each. Also, there is no precise corpus with which one can work. As popular liter­ ature, romances were compiled by a variety of writers, were translated from one language to another, were added to and altered frequently, all over a long period of time. There was no formal set of rules these romancers agreed to follow while writing. Consequently, the genre defies efforts to classify it neatly and permanently into one or more cate­ gories. Second, the broad topic of humor is so complex that it defies efforts to limit it through absolute definitions and classifications. There are no contemporary medieval theories for the use of humor in the romances that have come down to us^ and there is no modern system which lends itself readily to the analysis of this vast bulk of material. These three difficulties impose two broad limitations upon any study of humor in the romances. First, absolute definitions are impractical for this investigation. Because the matters being examined are so complex, one would quickly get bogged down were he to endeavor to construct rigid and 1 2 comprehensive definitions for key terms. So, instead, if the study is to get under way, only working definitions can be offered, definitions which are sufficient for the reader to know generally what I have in mind and which will grow clearer as the particular discussions of humorous incidents proceed. The two words which require at least working definitions are "humor” and "romance." By "humor" I mean that quality which amuses a charac­ ter within a romance, the audience of the romance, or both. It is achieved by establishing a dichotomy between two parties in which one derives some enjoyment or pleasure from sensing superiority over the other. The sense of super' iority results from one person not fulfilling the expecta­ tions another holds for him. The purposes of humor can vary. Humor may be intended to delight, to ridicule, or to do both.3 When something within the romance strikes a character as humorous the romancer will usually have that character laugh, thus making it relatively easy to recognize an instance of internal humor. It is more difficult to iden­ tify instances of external humor, instances in which some­ one outside the romance is amused by something in it. There are, however, a couple of clues which can suggest when the audience might be amused. The romancer often uses the laughter of his character to hint that the audience should laugh also. The audience is invited to share the perspective of the laughing character, to join him in his amusement. At other times the romancer may use a more sub­ tle means to encourage his audience to see something humorously. The romancers establish norms within their stories that are generally quite clear to the audience. If a character in the romance violates those norms, very often the audience feels free to laugh at him. It is not appro­ priate for the audience to laugh at normal behavior or at the norms themselves, however, I am thus excluding from my study incidents which may seem humorous to a modern reader merely because he is ignorant of medieval attitudes and beliefs. For example, in Havelok the Dane there are instances where a miraculous beam of light shines forth from the hero's mouth. A twentieth-century reader might suppose that a picture of a huge, strapping man lying in a bed, his mouth open and light pouring from it, was meant to be a bit ridiculous. But to do so would be to ignore the complete seriousness with which miracles such as this were received by the medieval audience. Laughter at Havelok here would simply be the result of cultural provincialism and would violate the romancer's intentions. 3 The second term requiring definition is "romance," a word almost as problematic as "humor." For my purposes, however, Helaine Newstead's definition can suffice: The medieval romance is a narrative about knightly prowess and adventure, in verse or in prose, intended primarily for the entertainment of a

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