The Fortunate Fall of Sir Gawain

Achieves a synthesis of two tendencies in Gawain criticism: the culpa school, which emphasizes Gawain's sin without being able to explain the final laughter at Camelot, and the felix school, which sees the comedy without being able to face the fact of Gawain's pernicious sin. Students of medieval literature, theologians interested in typology and the paradox of the felix culpa, and art historians interested in medieval iconography will all find much of value in this excellent study.