Romances The Hero Wins

What Is a Romance—Historically? A romance is a medieval verse narrative chronicling the adventures of a brave knight or other hero who must undertake a quest and overcome great danger for love of a noble lady or high ideal. © Christie's Images/CORBIS God Speed by Edmund Blair Leighton

Characteristics of the Romance Hero is a near-perfect hero is a human with limited moral and physical strength is bound by a code of chivalry that emphasizes loyalty to his lord and readiness to serve those in need should adhere to the philosophy of courtly love, an idealized view of relationships in which a knight performs brave deeds to win the approval of his lady

The Hero’s Quest The hero’s quest consists of three stages. a dangerous journey a central test or ordeal to determine if the hero has heroic qualities a return to the place where the journey began

Other Elements of a Romance Romances often have an evil enemy supernatural elements a theme of good versus evil female figures who are often maidens in need of rescue temptresses mothers crones

A Romance’s Functions To entertain To teach a moral lesson Romances are tales of adventure, intrigue, and mystery. To teach a moral lesson Romances illustrate how heroes react to dangerous situations or moral dilemmas. They reveal what character traits are valued by society.

What Is a Romance—Today? Romance has come to mean any story that presents a world that is happier, more exciting, or more heroic than the real world. Romances are stories set in a world of pure wish fulfillment. The ordinary laws of nature are suspended. Idealized and superhuman heroes fight and almost always conquer the forces of evil. © 2003-2004 clipart.com

Traditional and Modern Romances Traditional Romances “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Le Morte Darthur by Sir Thomas Malory The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser

Traditional and Modern Romances The Chronicles of Narnia the Lord of the Rings trilogy the Indiana Jones trilogy The Wizard of Oz

What Have You Learned? 1. One purpose of a romance is to __________. a. persuade b. ridicule c. entertain 2. A romance hero’s quest has _________ stages. a. three b. five c. seven 3. A romance hero is a perfect human with unlimited moral and physical strength. a. true b. false

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