Biblical Paradigms in Medieval English Literature: From Cædmon to Malory by Lawrence Besserman (review)

In his erudite and thought-provoking book, Biblical Paradigms in Medieval English Literature, Lawrence Besserman reveals the myriad ways in which writers from both the Old and Middle English periods ‘drew on biblical diction, imagery, narrative motifs, and themes in order to explore the paradoxical relationship of sacred and secular experience’ (p. 135). He further contends that the culture of the Middle Ages, in which religion remained inextricably entangled with daily life, spurred writers to create works marked by ‘duality’ (p. 65). In addition to his careful and extensive study of the Bible, Besserman analyzes an eclectic mix of documents to bolster his close readings of the texts studied. These materials include manuscripts, artwork, letters, and even a discussion of the ‘double image’ found in the ‘famous cartoon of a duck/rabbit’ (p. 65), which he uses to explain the baffling nature of the Green Knight. Throughout his book, Besserman supplements his analysis by providing images from several of the documents to which he refers. He also synthesizes and elaborates on work done both by him and by other medieval scholars interested in unveiling medieval biblical resonances. By skillfully marshaling this wide array of knowledge, Besserman does much to convince readers that the medieval writers under consideration integrated biblical materials into their works and that their audiences, or at least those who were ‘clerically minded’ (p. 80), appreciated their efforts.

Only two chapters focus on Arthurian material, ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ (chapter three) and ‘Malory’s Le Morte Darthur’ (chapter five), respectively. In chapter one, Besserman analyzes biblical motifs in several Old English texts, illustrating the ways in which these works stitch together Germanic and Christian worldviews. He underscores the potentially ‘paratliturgical function’ (p. 9) of works like Cædmon’s Hymn, which could prompt audience members to contemplate autonomously otherworldly matters. In chapter two, he makes a similar claim regarding ‘Maiden in the Moor Lay’ and ‘I Sing of a Maiden,’ contending that these medieval lyrics attempt to wrest control of ‘fundamental Christian truths’ from ‘formal ecclesiastical authority’ (p. 29). This attempt, Besserman argues, led poets to develop startling images, ones that suffuse the holy with an ‘erotic undertone’ (p. 45).

In ‘Troilus and Criseyde,’ chapter four’s focus, Besserman acknowledges that Chaucer’s mingling of the erotic and the holy veers toward blasphemy (p. 101). However, he also emphasizes that the poet’s audacious manipulation of biblical scenes and diction needs not be impious, for these biblical undercurrents enable Chaucer both to valorize Troilus and Criseyde’s love (p. 111) and to underscore Criseyde’s victimization and subsequent affiliation with Christ. By delineating Criseyde’s Christ-like vocabulary (pp. 101, 103), as well as the similarity between the Trojan parliament scene and the biblical judgment of Christ by Pontius Pilate (pp. 105–110), Besserman substantiates his bold view that Chaucer created Criseyde with Christ in mind. However, his further contention that Chaucer connects Criseyde to Mary seems tenuous, as he bases it solely on the mention of Mary in the poem’s conclusion.

Besserman’s reference to Mary in his analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight proves more effective. Besserman discusses how Mary convinced Thomas of her Assumption by dropping her girdle into the apostle’s hands (p. 77). Drawing a parallel between Gawain and Thomas, he notes the devotion of both to Mary and offers an astute observation regarding the significance of Gawain’s decision to accept the lady’s girdle as evidence that Gawain ‘symbolically turns away from the saving grace of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her faith-enhancing girdle and turns toward the seductive wiles of a daughter of sinful Eve’ (p. 80). As with his earlier discussion of Arthur’s court’s frivolity (p. 67), Besserman adeptly illustrates the Gawain-poet’s ambivalence towards courtly mores.

In chapter five, Besserman discusses how Malory...