Research Paper on:
Medieval Literature and Portrayal of Political Issues

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
within the culture and society. For example, in a novel about African Americans we may find the characters as individuals whose parents were slaves. Through the development of story and  the development of character we can see something of the political realities as they involve the oppression of the parents and the difficult conditions in post slavery days. Such kind  of illumination is often evident in Medieval literature, which serves to provide us with some of the best political examinations of the time period. Now, when we speak of the  political conditions of the time we are speaking of conditions which relate to virtue and religion, gender concerns, and also conditions which provide us information regarding royalty and traditions. In  the following paper we take these elements into consideration, presenting an examination of "Guigemar" by Marie de France and "Erec and Enide" by Chretiende Troyes. The stories are discussed separately,  and then followed by a comparison and discussion. Guigemar It should be noted, first and foremost, that the story of Guigemar is the story of a knight. Knights,  in Medieval times, were symbols of a kingdom and of a King. They were individuals who followed what is known as the code of chivalry. This code of chivalry was  something seen throughout a kingdom and throughout a society. As such it provides us with a great deal of information about the political system within the time period and within  the story. Despite the fact that the story is primarily a love story, it is also a story which presents us with the political system through an examination of chivalry.  Men, and predominantly knights, were expected to be chivalrous and abide by the code of chivalry. The code of chivalry involved many conditions. A chivalrous knight was to be honorable,