Guinevere has existed in literature for nearly a millennium, evolving to suit societal values and mores. She has metamorphosed from Arthur’s noble queen to Lancelot’s jealous lover, from a motherly sovereign to a vindictive adulteress as each author struggled to apply his own literary and societal conventions to a character that is both inherited and created.
In addressing the evolution of Guinevere, this thesis has followed her progression through three works: The Knight of the Cart by Chrétien de Troyes, Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, and The Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. In addition, this thesis has drawn upon literary criticism, including that of Maureen Fries and Norris J. Lacy, in proving how Guinevere’s character marks the societal values and beliefs of each author’s time period, as well as how she exemplifies the struggle to understand female characters in literature.
","abstract_html":"<p>Guinevere has existed in literature for nearly a millennium, evolving to suit societal values and mores. She has metamorphosed from Arthur’s noble queen to Lancelot’s jealous lover, from a motherly sovereign to a vindictive adulteress as each author struggled to apply his own literary and societal conventions to a character that is both inherited and created.</p> <p>In addressing the evolution of Guinevere, this thesis has followed her progression through three works: <em>The Knight of the Cart</em> by Chrétien de Troyes, <em>Le Morte d’Arthur</em> by Sir Thomas Malory, and <em>The Idylls of the King</em> by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. In addition, this thesis has drawn upon literary criticism, including that of Maureen Fries and Norris J. Lacy, in proving how Guinevere’s character marks the societal values and beliefs of each author’s time period, as well as how she exemplifies the struggle to understand female characters in literature.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Comer, Stephanie R"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"English Language and Literature","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Annette Wannamaker, PhD, Chair","Christine Neufeld, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2008,"date_issued":"2008-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2008-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:30Z","subjects":["ChreÌtien","de Troyes","12th cent. Chevalier de la charrette. English","Malory","Thomas","Sir","15th cent. Morte d'Arthur","Tennyson","Alfred Tennyson","Baron","1809-1892. Idylls of the King. Selections","Guenevere","Queen (Legendary character)","Arthurian romances History and criticism","English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/164","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Annette Wannamaker, PhD, Chair","Christine Neufeld, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Comer, Stephanie R"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English Language and Literature"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ChreÌtien","de Troyes","12th cent. Chevalier de la charrette. English","Malory","Thomas","Sir","15th cent. Morte d'Arthur","Tennyson","Alfred Tennyson","Baron","1809-1892. Idylls of the King. Selections","Guenevere","Queen (Legendary character)","Arthurian romances History and criticism","English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/164"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Guinevere has existed in literature for nearly a millennium, evolving to suit societal values and mores. She has metamorphosed from Arthur’s noble queen to Lancelot’s jealous lover, from a motherly sovereign to a vindictive adulteress as each author struggled to apply his own literary and societal conventions to a character that is both inherited and created.
In addressing the evolution of Guinevere, this thesis has followed her progression through three works: The Knight of the Cart by Chrétien de Troyes, Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, and The Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. In addition, this thesis has drawn upon literary criticism, including that of Maureen Fries and Norris J. Lacy, in proving how Guinevere’s character marks the societal values and beliefs of each author’s time period, as well as how she exemplifies the struggle to understand female characters in literature.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Behold thy doom is mine: The evolution of Guinevere in the eorks of Chrétien de Troyes, Sir Thomas Malory, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Annette Wannamaker, PhD, Chair","Christine Neufeld, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Comer, Stephanie R"],"dc:description.abstract":["Guinevere has existed in literature for nearly a millennium, evolving to suit societal values and mores. She has metamorphosed from Arthur’s noble queen to Lancelot’s jealous lover, from a motherly sovereign to a vindictive adulteress as each author struggled to apply his own literary and societal conventions to a character that is both inherited and created.
In addressing the evolution of Guinevere, this thesis has followed her progression through three works: The Knight of the Cart by Chrétien de Troyes, Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, and The Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. In addition, this thesis has drawn upon literary criticism, including that of Maureen Fries and Norris J. Lacy, in proving how Guinevere’s character marks the societal values and beliefs of each author’s time period, as well as how she exemplifies the struggle to understand female characters in literature.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/164"],"dc:subject":["ChreÌtien","de Troyes","12th cent. Chevalier de la charrette. English","Malory","Thomas","Sir","15th cent. Morte d'Arthur","Tennyson","Alfred Tennyson","Baron","1809-1892. Idylls of the King. Selections","Guenevere","Queen (Legendary character)","Arthurian romances History and criticism","English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["Behold thy doom is mine: The evolution of Guinevere in the eorks of Chrétien de Troyes, Sir Thomas Malory, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English Language and Literature"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:30Z"}