'BO?E LIM AND LI? IT IS FORLORN': UNNATURAL CHILDREN IN THE KING OF TARS, CHEVALERE ASSIGNE, AND SIR GOWTHER

Birçok Ortaçağ İngiliz romansı aileleri ilgilendiren konuları ele alırken çocuk kahramanları ön plana çıkarmaya çalışır ve çocuk dinleyicilerinin kişilik gelişimine katkıda bulunması için çocuk kahramanları model olarak gösterir. Bu nedenle, çocuk kahramanların eğitim süreçleri detaylıca anlatılır ve okuma, yazma ve müzik eğitimlerinin önemi bu romanslarda vurgulanır. Romanslarda anlatılan çocuk kahramanlar var olan toplumsal düzeni yansıttıkları gibi metinde geçen maceralar ve düzensizlikleri düzene sokmak ve düzenle oluşan toplumsal değerleri kabul ettirmek için çaba sarfederler. Böylece, romanstaki çocuk kahramanın varlığı romansı romans yapan tanımlayıcı bir değere dönüşür. Ancak The King of Tars, Chevalere Assigne, and Sir Gowther gibi bazı Ortaçağ İngiliz Romansları çocuk dinleyicilerine çocuk kahramanların düzenli eğitim kaygılarını veya Ortaçağ toplumunun değer yargılarını göstermek yerine çocuk kahramanların fiziksel kusurlarına hatta onların canavırımsı görünümlerine dikkat çekiyor gibi görünmektedir. Bu makalenin amacı genel olarak tüm Ortaçağ İngiliz romanslarında tasvir edilen, toplumsal değer yargılarına göre yetiştirilen ve toplumda statüsü olan çocuk kahramanlara rağmen bazı romanslarda çocuk kahramanların genel geçer kabul gören toplumsal değerlerin dışında nasıl farklılık gösterilebildiklerini ve çocuk dinleyicilere nasıl model olamadıklarını irdelemektir.

'Ne kolu var ne bacağı': The King of Tars, Chevalere Assigne ve Sir Gowther Romanslarındaki Tuhaf Çocuklar

Most Middle English romances are concerned with families and a large number have child or adolescent protagonists. Thus, the narrative of self making of the child or adolescent protagonist in these romances provides a kind of role model for the young audience. That they appeal to a young audience may be represented through the process of child education in Middle English Romances where the curriculum of reading, writing and music is distinctly specified. Children both symbolise a reassertion of order and they represent the continuation of families. So marked is the presence of children in Middle English Romances that it might even be thought of as a defining feature. However, there are few romances such as The King of Tars, Chevalere Assigne, and Sir Gowther which instead of representing children or their education, or accepted values of the Medieval society, focus on children's physical imperfections. While the monstrosity of the children in The King of Tars, Chevalere Assigne, and Sir Gowther seems to reinforce Christian doctrine of salvation through baptism, such a solution still seems to raise questions about medieval values and beliefs. The King of Tars, Chevalere Assigne, and Sir Gowther appear to answer raised questions, but they seem to conclude without satisfactory solutions, resulting in a deliberately destabilising effect, which is ideological in itself. Therefore, the aim of this article is to explore why children are represented as unnatural and imperfect human forms and how such representations undermine Christian doctrine of salvation through baptism in these romances.

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