An Escape from Reality...

According to a survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding time use in America, leisure reading is at an all-time low. This means that less people every year are missing out on the ability to make an escape from reality. Literature comes in many different shapes, sizes, and genres, giving people a way to find express themselves in a world that does not actually exist around us. While it is apparent that this may not be as important to people today, it was a big deal to those who lived in medieval England.

It is well known that the catholic church was very powerful during the middles ages, especially in England. As problems with priests and other church figures grew, the church began tightening up on many of their beliefs. With this being said, homosexuality which originally was disregarded, was widely recognized by the church as a heinous crime and some have even been prosecuted for it. This came as a culture shock to many. While we were never taught about it in our history classes, literature was very powerful in that time period and saved lives as it provided an escape to those who could not express themselves without risk of being harmed. I have attached this picture to depict the separation between church and state at the time. The church is at the top as it was viewed as the more powerful of the two at the time. 

I have read the epic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight twice throughout college and have never noticed the one hidden theme. Just some background before I get into the more complex hidden message: the story of Sir Gawain was written sometime in the fourteenth century (the exact time period we’re talking about), and follows the story of a Knight on a quest to get his head chopped off in a beheading challenge. While on this journey, Sir Gawain is presented with the opportunity to receive gifts from a queen, however he must pay anything he receives forward to the king. Those gifts include luscious kisses and denied sexual advances. As I read this the first two times, I did not think anything homosexual of the kisses as he denied the queens advances. However, what I did not know was that those kisses were meant to be very intimate, not just a peck on the cheek.

This is where literature shines and lets imagination to kick in, and allowed those readers of that time period to envision and perceive those gifts and that relationship as something just a little bit greater. This was done right under the church’s nose. The church demonizing homosexuality and other beliefs during that time period caused for a massive social change. Literature provided the perfect escape from what was the harsh reality for some during the medieval time period in England.