“A ‘Fuck You’ to the French:” Autochthony in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Abstract

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a deeply rich poem that comprises layers upon layers of nuanced and cultural motifs. Within it is the struggle against colonial, autochthonous, and cosmopolitan forces, springing forth from folkloric myth and religious narratives. This paper explores those motifs in a way that illuminates the cultural clashes of Medieval Britain, France, and even glimpses beyond European hegemony, to the possibilities of the East.