Literary notes about chivalry (AI summary)
The word “chivalry” in literature has served as a versatile symbol, evoking images of medieval nobility while also inviting satire and critique. In many works, chivalry embodies the lofty ideals of knightly virtue and courtly honor, as seen when it is praised as “the poetry of life” ([1]) or used to represent the pure, noble spirit of a high-souled knight ([2]). Yet authors have not shied from questioning its practicality or relevance; for instance, Mark Twain challenges traditional chivalric values with a bold call to “dare the chivalry of England” ([3]) and the biting wit of Rabelais ridicules the improbabilities of knight-errant adventures ([4]). This juxtaposition of admiration and irony underscores literature’s fascination with chivalry as both an emblem of an idealized past and a subject for critical reflection.
- "Chivalry is itself the poetry of life."
— from Bushido, the Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe - I think the poet desired to embody in this one picture the whole spirit of medieval chivalry and the platonic love of a pure and high-souled knight.
— from The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Here I stand, and dare the chivalry of England to come against me—not by individuals, but in mass!”
— from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain - They have only one point in common, their attack and ridicule of the romances of chivalry and of the wildly improbable adventures of knight-errants.
— from Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais
