Paul Bettany’s Chaucer Isn’t Too Pop Culture, Or Why A Knight’s Tale Deserves Academic Love

Published by Brianna
Breaking my own rule of never watching a film adaptation before reading its source text, I watched Brian Helgeland’s A Knight’s Tale long before I read Chaucer’s The Knight’s Tale.  In my defence, I had forgotten much of the film’s content by the time I got around to reading the Canterbury Tales, and I hope to demonstrate that it would not have mattered if I did.  Now that I have re-watched the 2001 motion picture as a medieval literature student and a screenwriter with a particular penchant for adaptations, I have recognised an unexpected medieval-ness behind Helgeland’s boldly modern text, and I have re-weighed the efficacy of transmission of medieval literature through popular culture.
If you have not heard of or deigned to watch A Knight’s Tale, here is the official trailer:
Either way, I hope you will read on as I grapple with a) Helgeland’s anachronistic and “generic translation [that turns] high culture into popular culture” (Forni 254); b) the accepted view of popular culture as low culture; and c) our tradition and authority complex when it comes to medieval and medievalist texts.

From The Knight’s Tale to A Knight’s Tale

What makes a modern adaptation or reinterpretation text scholastically and artistically valid in the realm of medievalism (defined here)?  In working toward an answer, I am indebted to Louise D’Arcens and her 2008 article titled “Deconstruction and the Medieval Indefinite Article: The Undecidable Medievalism of Brian Helgeland’s A Knight’s Tale.”  She points out the significance of Helgeland’s indefinite “A” as opposed to Chaucer’s definite “The” and explains, among other things, that the film’s “undecidable medievalism” places it in a different category from, say, Peter Jackson’s strict adaptation of Lord of the Rings.  It is tempting, as a history buff or a Chaucerian or a medievalist, to watch, study, and criticise A Knight’s Tale as an adaptation of The Knight’s Tale, which almost necessarily leads one to view it as an American / capitalist / individualist / [insert any modern ideology with negative valence here] warping of the medieval period.  But these judgments rely on the a priori notion that the film’s sole intention was to create a visual adaptation of a medieval story, a medieval sport, a medieval society.  What I have gathered reading interviews with writer/director Brian Helgeland and watching the film as an admittedly childish (read: unassuming) medievalist leads me to reject that idea in favour of a more forgiving reading of the film as a medievalist text.

A Knight’s Tale is less a visual translation of and more a response to the modern that can be found in the medieval (or the medieval that can be found in the modern); it was first conceived by Brian Helgeland as a medieval sports film, and his inspiration for the film’s story stemmed from the fact that only nobles could compete in jousting tournaments (Reel 6 Interview).  Based on this tidbit, the primary “source text” for A Knight’s Tale is not, in fact, The Knight’s Tale.  The film is not an adaptation of Chaucer’s text at all (which is, by the way, a rendering of Boccaccio’s Teseida, not an original story, at least in the modern sense of the term).  Its inspiration stems from Helgeland’s fascination with the medieval sport of jousting, and its construction is based more on an ideology of cultural transmission than a strictly historical or literary tradition.  Helgeland explains Chaucer’s presence in the text, which clearly goes beyond the film’s title:

“One of the dangers of a period movie is that everything gets kind of put up on a pedestal and covered in varnish…I was an English major, and when we studied Chaucer he seemed like a guy who stepped out of a museum with dust all over him. But he had to be a more kind of out-there guy to write all that stuff. So having no idea, I’m hoping Paul [Bettany]’s version of Chaucer is closer to who Chaucer probably was…” (Contact Music)

Helgeland wanted Geoffrey “Geoff” Chaucer in his film to subvert the museum quality of the medieval period.  And for those of you who are still hoping for faithful adaptation, Helgeland did intend for his film to take place during a six-month period of Chaucer’s life for which historians have no record, which means that a) he did do his research and b) our adaptation theory can be thrown out the window.  The film’s setting and story is set in a fanciful medieval neverland, really.  Helgeland gets off the hook.

Furthermore, Brian Helgeland’s interviews reveal that a dialogue with, rather than a translation of, the medieval period was in his head for the making of A Knight’s Tale.  One interviewer remarks that “it seemed the movie was about youth and identity in some ways, and also questioning the powers that be” (Contact Music).  I would argue that this film’s subversive questioning is what makes it so delightfully medieval.  Even if you disagree, it is clear that Helgeland’s aim was to coax to the surface those medieval aspects of modern society, or to tease out the modern-seeming aspects of medieval society.  In short, the film really is easier to appreciate if one’s critical viewing considers Helgeland’s vision for the film:

“We have computers and cell phones and cars, and all that. But they had all that too, they had horses, they wrote things down — I really believe that people have never changed, really. They laugh, they fall in love, they go to war, they never change” (Interview with Marty Mapes).

Of the people, By the people, For the people 

Perhaps it’s the American in me that delighted in William, Watt, and Roland’s quest to stick it (jousting!) to the (noble)man.  Don’t we all love an underdog story?  The short answer: not if it gets too close to beloved literature and literary figures.  The long answer: not when it propagates “the pervasive, and ostensibly insurmountable, chasm between the popular and the academic Chaucer” and “transform[s] a Boethian exploration of human happiness and divine justice into a predictable and vulgar myth of fulfilment” (Forni 254); and certainly not when it “refus[es] to acknowledge the nature and mannerisms of social customs and people in Europe at the time” (Jeffrey Badder).  In defense of the first complaint, Kathleen Forni does make an astute observation.  She argues that A Knight’s Tale denotes the modern reception of Chaucer as a figure for popular culture (as opposed to Shakespeare’s popularity with intellectuals) (Forni 262).  While I agree that Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales lends itself well to the modern storyteller who might wish to create a comic, pop culture-y text set in the medieval period, I do not necessarily think that we should lament it.  After all, even Shakespeare wrote for the masses–the foundlings occupying the standing space in theatres were part of the Bard’s carefully aimed double entendres and satire.  And the modern conception of popular culture–having much to do with mass printing–does not really fit in Chaucer’s time.  This brings me to Forni’s second point.

As I noted earlier, Brian Helgeland clearly did not have an adaptation of Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale in mind when he set out to write A Knight’s Tale. He had jousting, 70s rock, and the philosophy that a man can change his stars guiding his script.  He was writing a tale about a knight, not the tale about the knight, as  Louise D’Arcens articulates in her argument.  He is not trying to recreate Chaucer’s “Boethian exploration of human happinessand divine justice,” so we certainly cannot hold his film to that standard.  Consequently, I cannot agree with Forni’s judgment on A Knight’s Tale on the grounds that her arguments are supported by assumptions that simply cannot be applied to Helgeland’s film.  Furthermore, she does not consider the film’s genre, or the fact that film is meant to be massively consumed and is closely bound up with “popular culture,” which she seems to think is a dismantling of Chaucer’s image as the classy father of English poetry. A Knight’s Tale is irreverent, maybe, but so is the Canterbury Tales. A Knight’s Tale is a comedy, a kind of modern tribute to the medieval sport of jousting.  (All criticism I read about the film did allow that the cinematography of the actual jousting is phenomenal.)  So why can we not appreciate A Knight’s Tale for what it is?

Our Obsession with Lineage: A Pristine Medieval Period

Brian Helgeland’s A Knight’s Tale subverts textual authority in a way that especially bother medievalists.  Whether it is with Queen’s “We Will Rock You” or Jocelyn’s failure to conform to our ideas of a medieval noblewoman, Helgeland defies expectations anyone might draw from the title of the film, its inclusion of Geoffrey Chaucer, or its medieval setting.  Is it, then, the feeling of being duped that upsets the likes of Jeffrey Badder and Kathleen Forni?

The former’s tone of disappointment as he describes the opening scene certainly points to the frustration of expectation:

“The crowd “does the wave” as at a modern baseball stadium, competitors pump their breastplates like football players, and the nobles, apparently fans of 1970’s rock-and-roll, sing along to the theme music; the guitar solo, in fact, is even timed to appear as though it comes from the trumpet players on the tournament grounds” (Jeffrey Badder).

The opening of A Knight’s Tale reminds me of scenes in Shrek where 90s pop music rules the fairytale land.  No one seems to be bothered by it, perhaps because Shrek is acknowledged as a fairytale; it is animated.  Although A Knight’s Tale does pull the rug out from under those of us who come in to the film expecting a historically accurate adaptation of Chaucer’s first Canterbury Tale, I would argue that the film is straightforward and honest about its fairytale quality from the beginning.

I am inclined also to view the medieval scholar’s discomfort with A Knight’s Tale as a manifestation of our obsession with tradition and lineage and of our tendency to view historical figures such as Chaucer and historical cultures as pristine and sacred (in that they should be preserved and studied rather than embodied, filtered, and transmitted in a modern hand).  After all, the notions of textual tradition and authority have existed at least since Chaucer’s lifetime; in Troilus and Criseyde, for example, he probably invented a classical textual source for his story, crediting a “Lollius” whose name only appears in the Chaucer’s text.  What’s more, Chaucer and other medieval writers freely borrowed, innovated, and plucked pieces from other texts while modern authors are governed by not only copyrights protecting intellectual property and reverence for the past, including its literary figures.  This creates a standard for film adaptations that is creatively restrictive.  While there is something to be said for strict adaptations, the strength of Brian Helgeland’s comic and epic tale is in its humour and its apparently modern view that “a man can change his stars.”

Conclusions

“If we are to truly grasp the significance of a medievalist text within the undecidability of medievalism, we need to accept, and not condemn, its partial truth, its blithe purloining, and most of all its fluctuating allegiances, which it directs promiscuously not only to the medieval past, but also to other…pasts, the present, and even the future” (D’Arcens 98).

Louise D’Arcens’s conclusion resonates with my experience watching A Knight’s Tale for the second time (the first time as a medievalist).  It was marked by delight and recognition of unexpected medieval elements.  I anticipated a quirky medieval-esque comedy, so I was pleasantly surprised whenever Helgeland dropped gems like the importance of pilgrimage (in Chaucer’s introductions of Will as Sir Ulrich).  And although steeped in modern ideology, I recognised Helgeland’s construction of an estates satire within the template of Hollywood’s cathartic good vs. evil plotline: The priest, for example, is shushed by the fiery Jocelyn as tries to silence her in his cathedral.  Geoff Chaucer calls attention to the class divide at tournaments and pokes fun at the noble class by addressing “everybody else here not sitting on a cushion” when he introduces Sir Ulrich.  And unredeemable baddie Count Adhemar is thoroughly shown to be as ignoble in manner as Will is in blood.

My viewing of the film was consquently enriched by my determination to watch it as a product of its time and as in dialogue with, rather than necessarily deriving from, a bygone time and culture that continues to intrigue modern society.  As scholars and film-viewers, we can learn something from such a reading of Helgeland’s text: taking a break from the traditional criticism of medievalist texts is beneficial, for both academic inquiry and cinematic pleasure.

Works Cited:
D’Arcens, Louise. “Deconstruction and the Medieval Indefinite Article: The Undecidable Medievalism of Brian Helgeland’s A Knight’s Tale” in Parergon, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 88-98. Australian and New Zealand Association of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 2008. Article. Web. 31 March 2016.
Forni, Kathleen. “Reinventing Chaucer: Helgeland’s A Knight’s Tale” in The Chaucer Review, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 253-264. Penn State University Press, 2003. Article. Web. 31 March 2016.

 

713 thoughts on “Paul Bettany’s Chaucer Isn’t Too Pop Culture, Or Why A Knight’s Tale Deserves Academic Love”

  2. I don’t know if it’s just me or if perhaps everyone else encountering issues with your blog.
    It appears as if some of the written text within your posts are running off the screen. Can someone else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening
    to them as well? This might be a problem with my web browser because I’ve had this happen previously.

    Many thanks

    Feel free to surf to my page: tải gái xinh sex 2025

    Reply

  3. 188bet line|id line m88|188bet มือ ถือ|สล็อต m88|188bet ดาวน์โหลด|dafabet link|188bet bonus|dafabet โกง|ole777 คาสิโน|m88 com login https://bwiny777.com

    Reply

  5. 188bet มือ ถือ,m88 ทางเข้า,m88 ทางเข้าสํารอง,fun88 thai,188bet download android,asian sbobet,www 188bet com,ole777 mobile,Play8,dafabet com mobile https://fun88xuechuai.com

    Reply

  8. Развод — это значимое решение, которое требует тщательной подготовки и грамотной юридической поддержки.

    Специалист по разводам поддерживает процесс расторжения брака и защищает интересы сторон.

    Корректное оформление документов и объяснение
    перспектив действий крайне важны.

    Обязанности адвоката во время развода

    Специалист по разводам выполняет ряд важных функций:

    Подготовка соглашения о разделе имущества между супругами;
    Представление интересов в суде;
    Консультации касательно наследственных прав;
    Поддержка в установлении сроков и условий завершения процесса развода;

    Урегулирование споров между супругами;

    Как выбрать юриста по разводам

    При выборе юриста важно учитывать следующие моменты:

    Опыт в вопросам, связанным с разводами и юридической
    практикой;
    Отзывы клиентов и успешные кейсы;
    Квалификация в сфере семейного права;
    Простота понимания цен на
    услуги юриста;
    Доступность для общения (можно ли связаться
    по телефону или электронной почте).

    Этапы процедуры развода с адвокатом

    Процесс развода можно разбить на
    несколько ключевых этапов:

    Первичная встреча с адвокатом;
    Подготовка необходимых документов;
    Представление иска в суд;
    Судебное разбирательство;
    Получение решения суда и
    его исполнение.

    Согласие обоих супругов

    Когда оба партнера согласны на развод, это
    значительно облегчает процедуру.

    В таком случае, возможно заключение соглашения о разделе имущества и других
    вопросов, связанных с разводом.

    Адвокат подготовит документ, который защитит интересы родителей и детей, а также учтет пожелания супругов.

    Это сделано для предотвращения дальнейших разногласий.

    Работа юриста в Москве

    В Москве имеется множество юристов,
    специализирующихся на разводах.

    Они оказывают помощь как в оформлении документов,
    так и в защите интересов клиента в суде.

    Такой метод снижает риски и ускоряет процесс решения проблем.

    Обратившись к профессиональному юристу, вы можете быть
    уверены, что ваши права будут
    защищены, а все действия будут осуществлены в соответствии с законом.

    Заключение

    Правильный выбор юриста по
    разводам — это ключ к успешному завершению процесса развода с минимальными потерями.

    Проконсультируйтесь со специалистом, который разъяснит все детали и поможет решить ваши проблемы.
    юридическая консультация при разводе Заключение
    Обращение к адвокату, специализирующемуся на разводах, является важным этапом
    для сторон, стремящихся правильно установить свои права и обязанности в процессе развода.
    Профессиональные юристы assist клиентам в решении трудных
    задач, касающихся раздела имущества,
    определением места проживания детей и составлением соглашений о алиментах.
    Служба помощи юриста в Москве снижает риск столкновения с проблемами и конфликтами, возникающими в ходе
    развода.
    Ключевыми аспектами, на которые стоит обратить внимание при выборе специалиста, являются:

    Опыт в практике семейного законодательства
    Репутация и отзывы клиентов
    Способность находить компромиссные решения
    Наличие готовности отстаивать интересы клиента в
    суде
    Помощь на всех этапах разбирательства

    Профессиональный юрист поможет вам заранее определить перспективы дальнейших действий, а
    также выработать стратегию ведения дела,
    учитывая все существенные обстоятельства.
    Это критически важно в ситуациях, когда
    возникают наследственные
    права, конфликты по поводу недвижимости или
    другие имущественные споры.
    Развод зачастую представляет собой эмоционально тяжелый этап для обоих партнеров.
    Таким образом, помимо юридической поддержки, необходимо принимать во внимание и психологическую сторону.
    Сотрудничая с профессионалом, вы сможете упростить процесс и снизить возможные негативные последствия.
    Помните, что время, необходимое для развода, может колебаться в зависимости от сложности ситуации, наличия детей и согласия обоих супругов.
    Однако, грамотный подход юриста способен значительно ускорить его.
    В случае необходимости
    развода стоит действовать незамедлительно
    и не откладывать этот вопрос на потом.
    Проконсультируйтесь с опытным юристом по разводам, чтобы обеспечить
    защиту своих интересов и
    добиться справедливого решения.
    Не забывайте, что продуманные
    шаги на данном этапе могут
    стать основой для лучшего будущего для
    вас и ваших детей.

    Reply

  9. Mainkan Link Gacor 2025 di Slot Resmi Terpercaya! Nikmati Slot Resmi anti rungkad dengan kemenangan maksimal, aman, dan seru. Temukan pengalaman bermain terbaik yang selalu gacor setiap hari, langsung dari situs resmi! Slot Resmi

    Reply

  12. Howdy! I just wish to give you a big thumb up
    for your xcellent information you havfe here on this post.
    I am coming back to yoiur blog ffor mre soon.

    my site boyarka

    Reply

  16. I do not even know how I ended up here, but
    I thought this post was great. I do not know who you are but certainly you are going to
    a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!

    Also visit my webpage – 台湾 丝瓜

    Reply

  19. When I initially commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added-
    checkbox and now each time a comment is added I receive
    four emails with the exact same comment. is Promova free (promova-english.com) there
    a means you are able to remove me from that service? Thank you!

    Reply

  20. I can’t believe focusing long enough to research; much less write this kind of article. You’ve outdone yourself with this material without a doubt. It is one of the greatest contents. daftar igtoto

    Reply

  25. “I have read your article, it is very informative and helpful for me. I admire the valuable information you offer in your articles. Thanks for posting it.. Fantastic post. Really love reading this a lot. Thanks for sharing the post. I am really happy to say it’s an interesting post to read . I learn new information from your article. Keep it up.

    ” 토토

    Reply

  29. ole777 line,ช่องทางเข้า sbobet,ทาง เข้า dafabet มือ ถือ,www ole777,fun88 ฟรี 300,ทางเข้าเล่น m88,แอ พ 188bet https://bk88ole777.com

    Reply

  31. 壹元娱乐官方网站入口,宝威体育,hth官网app登录入口,电子娱乐平台游戏,博业体育,新澳门六开奖号码记录,蚂蚁体育,OTC体育,海博体育,又发彩票 https://kaiyunqi.com

    Reply

  32. I simply must tell you that you have written an excellent and unique article that I really enjoyed reading. I’m fascinated by how well you laid out your material and presented your views. Thank you. bolagila

    Reply

  33. I simply must tell you that you have written an excellent and unique article that I really enjoyed reading. I’m fascinated by how well you laid out your material and presented your views. Thank you. slot gacor 777

    Reply

  34. I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your website. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more enjoyable for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Excellent work! Dewagg

    Reply

  35. My husband and i were quite ecstatic that Chris could complete his homework by way of the ideas he gained when using the site. It is now and again perplexing to just find yourself handing out thoughts other people might have been trying to sell. We really realize we have got the website owner to be grateful to because of that. The main explanations you’ve made, the easy website menu, the friendships you will help to instill – it’s most excellent, and it’s really facilitating our son in addition to the family do think this subject is amusing, and that is unbelievably important. Many thanks for all the pieces! skor88

    Reply

  36. I really appreciate this post. I have been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thanks again togel88

    Reply

  37. 188bet bonus,fun88 ทาง เข้า 2020,188bet apk android,fun88 ฟรี 300,ทางเข้า w88 มือถือ,188bet png,สล็อต m88,188bet com https://sbobetlia.com

    Reply

  40. Hey very nice web site!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds also…I am happy to find so many useful information here in the post, we need develop more strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . . 威而鋼哪裡買

    Reply

  43. An attention-grabbing dialogue is value comment. I’m sure that its better to write on this topic, towards the often be a taboo topic but typically persons are not sufficient to speak on such topics. To another location. Cheers Dominobet Link Alternatif

    Reply

  44. I’ve been surfing online greater than three hours these days, but I by no means found any interesting article like yours. It¡¦s beautiful value sufficient for me. In my view, if all website owners and bloggers made excellent content as you probably did, the net will likely be a lot more helpful than ever before. situs emakqq

    Reply

  46. แอ พ 188bet,w88 thailand,เข้า ระบบ fun88,m88 เครดิต ฟรี,sbobet beer789,fun88 เข้าสู่ระบบ,www dafabet com https://w887777.com

    Reply

Leave a Reply to www pic5678 com login sbobet Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to toolbar