Abstract

This three-part essay addresses the monstrous-feminine in Lybeaus Desconus, a Middle English romance extant in six manuscript versions. Part 1 foregrounds variations on the fierce kiss (fier basier) that signals a change in narratives of the ‘Fair Unknown.’ Part 2 addresses Lybeaus’ status as an illegitimate son of Gawain and his reintegration into courtly society. Part 3 examines the means by which the monstrous-feminine plays a role in the transformation of a source text into two English versions in a complex process of adaptation.

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