Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
18th International IDEA Conference: Studies in English, Ankara, Türkiye, 13 - 15 Mayıs 2026, ss.13, (Özet Bildiri)
This study examines Siân Hughes’s debut novel Pearl (2023) through an analysis of medievalism studies. Distinguished by its recontextualization of medieval texts, traditions and culture, Pearl recounts the story of Marianne through her own narration as her erratic memory fluctuates across time, shaped by her mother’s disappearance. She repeatedly endeavours to comprehend the past, particularly the circumstances that led to this loss. At the core of this process, she interacts with medieval texts, most notably the poems of the Pearl manuscript. The novel itself takes its title from the first poem of this manuscript, which Marianne explicitly identifies as a work of consolation and she constantly engages in acts of reading, interpretating, and artistic recreation derived from this poetry. However, the consolation cannot be attained easily and is intentionally redirected to other medieval texts by Hughes, particularly Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, whose motifs of human imperfection and vulnerability provide a new layer of reconsideration for grief. Therefore, rather than uncritically adopting the medieval consolation, the novel reimagines and reinterprets it, positioning it as a dynamic framework to overcome bereavement. In the conclusion, the medieval texts and motifs scattered throughout the narrative are ultimately woven together, enabling Marianne to integrate her loss, memory, and identity. In this light, by following the novel’s ongoing interaction with the Gawain-poet and broader medieval traditions, this study situates Hughes’s Pearl within contemporary discourses on critical medievalism and reception.