The Turke and Sir Gawain, the Frontiers of Courtesy and Chivalry

This paper examines the opposition between the chivalric code and otherness/wildness postulated by the relationship between Gawain and the Turke and enacted through a series of comic exploits in alien realms, many of which are drawn into the control of the dominate power, the Arthurian court. It explores the re-negotiation of courtesy and courtliness for late medieval audiences through the parodying of knightly adventures.