Run Lola Run

The film Run Lola Run was a very interesting premise of a woman who seeks to save her criminal boy friend from being killed by a crime boss. Gender roles play a couple interesting roles in this movie, especially in Lola family. A typical patriarchal family is represented in Lola’s family because her father is the only one who works, yet the movie continuously works against this gender role. Lola spends the entire movie saving her boy friend, rather than him saving her. This also ties into the fairy tale aspect of the film. The movie presents itself with a “damsel in distress theme”, with Lola as the prince and Manni as the damsel, Lola actually has to save Manni. Several times throughout the movie, the guard at the bank also makes comments about Lola being a “princess”, this in combination with the game/quest that is going on reminds me of the knight stories were the knight needs to run to the immediate aid of a “fair young maiden” 

Yvain Blog three

In the third act we see Yvain continuously doing tasks as he makes his way back to Laudine to prove his worth to her. All of his tasks involve helping women that are in need of help. Although this action can be seen as chauvinistic, I believe that Yvain is doing these deeds as retribution for his deceit against Laudine. Unlike Erec, Yvain is not perfect, and he knows this. He has seen the error of his ways and seeks to find reconciliation for his actions. This kind of character is more likable, because they contain both the good and bad qualities that are innately in humans. Yvain has both characteristics, and he knows this, he seeks to do these task not for “the sport”, or for “adventure’s sake” but because he feels indebted to woman who have given to him, mostly Lunete and Laudine. I believe this makes Yvain a much deeper character, he rarely shows the self interest that was so prevalent in Erec’s character. The onetime Yvain does show self centered actions he ends up losing the love of his lady. Rather than demanding the love back as “man over his woman”, he feels deeply remorseful and plunges into a state of self destruction and exile. Yvain’s character reaches his salvation at the end, by continuously fighting for the love of his lady. He denies the several available women along the way because he has eyes only for Laudine, and he knows that he must make up for taking advantage of her. He doesn’t just throw her away, he has a sense of loyalty, and realizes that he must take responsibility for his action. Rather than fleeing, demanding the respect back, or just finding someone else, he fights to earn the love and respect back of his orginal lover.

Yvain, Blog #2

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After returning late from the “knightly exploits” that Yvain so hastily rushed away to, he was banished by his wife for breaking his promise to return in one year’s time. Yvain gets so caught up in the knightly tournaments that he forgets he must return in a timely fashion; and when he does return late, his wife, as she threatened, refuses to see him. Yvain then self exiles himself into the woods where he lives as a savage. I think Yvain was so embarrassed by his own actions, his carelessness, that he feels he must flee from everything. Drawing back to what I said earlier, I believe Yvain is a “true character” one that has both good and bad characteristics, and at this point in the story, he realizes what he truly did wrong. Unlike Erec, he truly feels remorse for what he did wrong; for his carelessness, his deceitfulness, and infidelity. In the woods he quickly comes to terms with all of this, and is thus driven mad by his own misdoings. I think that Yvain may have actually realized the foolishness of his exploits, and expressed it in his self-exile and insanity.

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Stemming from the fourth question, something that I found both perplexing and interesting was the presentation and loyalty of the lion. Yvain frees the lion from death, and thus it becomes loyal to him. I see this as a metaphor to Yvain and Lunete. Lunete represents the knight while Yvain is the lion, the dragon would be the death that was going to befall Yvain after the slaying of the knight. Lunete saves Yvain, and he feels some loyalty to her. In return he actually returns to save Lunete from her own death. Yvain feels loyal to Lunete for her saving him, unlike Erec who felt dishonored by a woman trying to save him. This interpretation is the first thing I thought of while reading, and the more I read the more it seemed to hold true.

Yvain, Blog 1

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Calogrenant’s story seems to set the stage for the events that will unfold in this story, similar to how the hunting of the white stag did in Erec and Enide. The story begun as a quest Calogrenant took upon himself, but slowly evolved into his own personal failures, which in turn Yvain took as a challenge for himself. I took the story as almost comical, not due to the nature of what happened, but due to the positioning of the tale in the story. It acts as almost a convenient plot device which gives Yvain the idea for what he should do. I see it almost as a prologue, or “convenient quest”. In addition the overall story is very bizarre with all of its description and strange occurrences. It reveals from the start that the story of Yvain will have much more magic and supernatural events than Erec and Enide.

3.

Yvains character struck me as very different than Erec. Whereas Erec was the “cookie cutter” perfect male, Yvain seems to have much more depth to him. We see very quickly in the story that Yvain may be more than “the best fighter and most good looking man alive”, he may have some intellect and wisdom that Erec did not. Also, I feel that Yvain may be more of a real character. It seemed at times that Erec was too one sided, he only possessed positive traits, only good characteristics. I believe that Yvain may have both bad and good. Yvain seems more impatient, impulsive, and aggressive than Erec, especially when pursuing the Knight, and then his wife. I firmly believe Yvain will be a much more interesting character than Yvain, and more will be able to learned about him as the story progresses.

Erec and Enide Blog #3

                For the final part of Erec and Enide there seems to be a “return” of the unconditional love between the two characters. Both characters seem to reach a point where they truly accept each other, more so for Erec.  In the beginning of the story Erec expects Enide to just be the silent trophy wife, which to his own disappointment, she is not. Throughout the second part of the story Enide continuously speaks to Erec, saying what she thinks, and worrying for him, rather than just being the “pretty face”. When she begins to speak in the second part, Erec reacts in a very interesting way, and they depart on a journey for Erec to gain “honor”. Throughout the remaining part of the story Erec begins to accept Enide for what she really is, a brilliant mind in addition to a pretty face. This is made obvious following their escape from the count’s castle. After Erec slays the count and they flee, Erec tells Enide that he always has and always will love her regardless of anything that she has said, says, or will say. He also adds in that he will “always forgive her” for what she says, which I see as his way of saying that he will let her speak her mind and be heard.  I believe that this ties directly into the proverb at the beginning of the story. At the end of the story Erec finally realizes what Enide truly holds within her, and fully understands her full beauty, not just her outer looks.

Erec and Enide Blog #2

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            Enide’s name is only mentioned when Erec and her are finally getting married. It is even mentioned in the story that many of the peasants and nobles don’t even know the name of Erec’s bride. It revealed only when they are made aware she was baptized with the name “Enide”. I find this incredible comical that Erec has already professed his undying love to her, and she has been commended by kings, nobles, and knights, yet almost no one knows her name or anything about her. For the first half of the story it was almost as if she was just a pretty face for all the people to look at, they really didn’t know anything about her, let alone her name. Following the marriage we start to see things from Enide’s perspective, especially her cleverness and her want to communicate and express her opinions to Erec. Even when we do find out Enide’s name, it is almost brushed to the side as something that “wasn’t exactly important”. She was just a face to Erec and the rest, but interestingly enough she was so much more, which fit into the proverb at the beginning of the story.

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            Throughout the story Enide has several internal monologues in which she rationalizes and thinks through all of her decisions. Almost every one of these inner battles seems to be a debate over acting like a “well bred woman” or doing what she feels is in the best interest of her and Erec. I think this gives us an insight into the real world of women in the medieval times. These women were not just powdered faces, or trophies; they actually were quite smart and intellectual. They only acted reserved because it was what was expected of them. It almost appears that some of these women may outshine, especially Enide, their spouses in terms of knowledge and intuition. Maybe the reason the men silences their women was because they feared how smart they could really be.

Erec & Enide pg. 37-60 Blog #1

Difficult yet thought-provoking question: Why does the text describe Enide in this way: “She was truly one who was made to be looked at, for one might gaze at her just as one gazes in a mirror.”? What is it to gaze into a mirror? What does one see? Are there any figures from mythology transfixed by a mirror image?) 

Throughout the story the descriptions of the fair, beautiful, and “well bred” Enide seem to be endless. She is woman that is characterized by her extreme physical beauty, although there is some reference made by her father that she also possesses some intellect. People, especially knights and nobility, seem to be so transfixed with her beauty; this becomes especially interesting when the comment about the mirror is related in. Typically a mirror reflects the subject gazing into the mirror, and in Enide’s case these subjects were the knights and nobility. The nobles and knights, seeing themselves in high esteem and social class believed that she was someone “well bred” and worthy of their love. This has a striking similarity to the classic Greek story of Narcissus, where Narcissus was only attracted to his own reflection. The nobility and knights almost saw themselves in Enide, they saw a person who was “worthy” of them and their social status.

What do you make of the second contest in the text (the sparrow-hawk)? What is at stake here? What are the implications of this concerning gender, power, masculinity, etc.? 

In the second competition the main thing a wager was not the bird, but the pride of the two men. When Erec challenged the other knight he was almost usurping him off his throne of pride and social status. The two men knew that they had to fight with each other because they had to fight for pride and prove who was more “worthy”. The bird was simply a token of whoever was socially or symbolically on top. The loser of the battle would be stripped of his pride and ego and publically humiliated, thus becoming a slave or prisoner to the winner. It appears that the males especially in this age have this innate drive to be on top and establish dominance over each other.