The Green Knight
Knight stories are a type of Western tradition, similar to our Chinese martial arts novels. When I remember reading the history of literature, I also heard several themes of knight literature. However, this work under the banner of chivalry literature is obviously not just "anti-cavalier literature", but directly "anti-narrative literature". Because all the foreshadowing has nothing to do with the story!
At the beginning, the protagonist Sir Kevin, although he is the son of the king's sister, has a mediocre life. Except for falling in love with a commoner woman, which is more in line with the "story tradition", he has not shown his martial arts skills from beginning to end, and he has no strong religious feelings. (does not attend Mass and is associated with witches). Then came, the knight must rely on honor to be in the position, and honor must rely on the record, but he didn't, he didn't have his own legend, not even the story. So, his mother summoned him the "green knight", which brought him the story.
The "green knight" suddenly came, this terrifying guy, proposed to duel, and the way of duel is very simple: how do you treat me; next year, I will send it to my door and see how I treat you. And then the real duel, and not fighting at all, just bent over and sent you the head to chop. Sir Kevin came forward for his own story and slashed the Green Knight. And the green knight is actually an undead monster, he picked up his head and went home. So, Sir Kevin has his own story, and everyone knows his ending next year.
Then his mother gave him another belt that would make sure he was okay. We all think that the story is like the "Nvwa planning, screenwriting, and director" explained in Cai Zhizhong's comic "Fengshen Bang". Kevin's mother, a witch, used magic to create a legend for her rotten son. Too bad there isn't one behind.
Of course, the story starts to deviate. Kevin gave kindness to a tramp on the way, and the tramp showed him the way to the Green Chapel of the Green Knight. But looking back, the tramp and two buddies robbed Kevin and left with his weapons and armor. We thought that the tramp was going to repay Kevin, or accidentally wanted to take Kevin's glory, and then he was cut off by the Green Knight soberly or confusedly. Too bad there isn't one behind.
Kevin met a red fox, and he was with him; then he met a hunter with his witch wife and blind mother. This family is insane. The movie seems to imply that the hunter's wife is someone who can create a story (like the Greek goddess of fate), and Kevin is one of his targets. Moreover, the hunter hopes to make a deal with Kevin, and wants to exchange Kevin's fox for him to borrow seeds and have children. But unfortunately, the hunter's wife gave up on Kevin, because he was not a knight, just a coward. And the red fox actually spoke human words and wanted to stop Kevin from being sent to death.
Then Kevin went to the Green Knight. Despite his hesitation, he finally gave up the "girdle of immortality" he got again from the hunter's wife. Because, for a split second, he felt that "a false life is meaningless" (just like Nanke Yimeng and Huangliang Meimeng in ancient China. He saw himself returning home from the Green Knight intact, becoming a king with glory, and abandoning A commoner lover married a noble woman, and then was invaded by another country because of his incompetence, his son also died in battle, and he finally had to face his own cowardice and die). So, he took off his belt.
Therefore, it seems that all the foreshadowing in the front may not exist, and everyone and things that Kevin encounters seem to be meaningless. However, all of this shows the real needs of a knight: real skill, real courage, real legend. As for whether Kevin was beheaded by the Green Knight or not, and what his life would be like, it was originally irrelevant.
Therefore, this counter-narrative, a knight's story that left all the foreshadowing behind, has turned into an interesting knight's story. 2021/8/24
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