Ascend - The Great Books Podcast Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Fitts 2 and 3 with Dr. Tiffany Schubert
Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick, Dr. Tiffany Schubert of Wyoming Catholic College, George of the Chivalry Guild, and Banished Kent discuss Fitts 2 and 3 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight!
Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule!
Check out our 50 QUESTION-AND-ANSWER GUIDE to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Be sure to visit our sister publication, THE ASCENT, for Christian spirituality.
Episode Summary
The panel continues the Christmas reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, exploring Fitts 2 and 3 with Dr. Tiffany Schubert. The discussion covers the meditative passage of time, Gawain’s elaborate armor and pentangle, his wilderness journey, arrival at the lord's castle, and the three bedroom temptations mirroring the lord’s hunts. Themes of courtesy versus Christian prudence, the unexpected location of peril, and human imperfection dominate.
Why Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Is Worth Reading
This poem masterfully redirects chivalric expectations from martial heroism to internal trials of temperance and fidelity, using irony, humor, and subtle symbolism to expose the tensions within knighthood itself. As Dr. Schubert notes, it brings readers “back down into this world”—a murky, incarnate place of comfort and laughter where true danger often hides—while probing whether Christian virtue can govern or perfect courtly ideals. Rich in liturgical resonance, Marian devotion, and realistic grace, it humanizes the heroic quest, making it profoundly relevant for reflecting on temptation, fear, and humility during the Christmas season.Key Discussion Points
- Time & Seasons: Opening meditation on cyclical yet forward-moving time; Gawain’s lingering and All Hallows’ departure as liturgical reflection on mortality.
- Armor & Pentangle: Lavish buildup of Gawain’s gear and “endless knot” (five sets of five perfections, piety surpassing all) as outward ideal—quickly deflated as armor is removed.
- Mary Inside the Shield: Hidden source of strength and piety governing the public projection of perfection.
- Wilderness to Castle: Dismissal of monster battles; castle as surprising “answer” to Marian prayer—Providence working through murky, tempting paths.
- Second Christmas Game: Bertilak’s exchange of winnings parallels the first deadly game, shifting peril to courtesy and domestic temptation.
- Three Temptations & Hunts: Parallel structure—doe (subtle), boar (fierce), fox (cunning); Gawain resists lust admirably but accepts/conceals girdle out of fear of death.
- Courtesy vs. Christian Prudence: Repeated bedroom returns (no Joseph-like flight) prolong exposure, allowing lady to exploit deeper flaw—courtesy overriding removal from sin.
- Confession Ambiguity: Post-girdle absolution raises questions of self-awareness and lingering human frailty.
- Humor & Irony: Lighthearted banter, kiss exchanges, and tonal ease amid “great peril” and single use of “sin.”
Notable Quotes
- Dr. Schubert: “This is a really funny kind of a poem… part of the way the poet redirects our attention to what is actually the challenge.”
- Deacon Garlick: “Courtesy is holding him there… the more he adheres to the courtesy culture, the more he jeopardizes his own soul.”
- Banished Kent: “The real temptation… is the temptation to hold on to his own life.”
Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule!
Check out our 50 QUESTION-AND-ANSWER GUIDE to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Be sure to visit our sister publication, THE ASCENT, for Christian spirituality.