[简答题,10分] Talk about the essential features of romance in the Medieval British literature.

The romance is a literary genre which prevails during the medieval time. It was a long composition, sometimes in verse, and sometimes in prose, describing the life and adventures of a noble hero, especially a knight. The general features of this composition are: 1. It lacks general resemblance to truth or reality. 2. It exaggerates the vices of human nature and idealizes the virtue. 3. It contains perilous adventures more or less remote from the ordinary life. 4. It lays emphasis on supreme devotion to a fair lady. 5. The central character of the romance is the knight, a man of noble birth skilled at the use of weapons. He is commonly described as riding forth to seek adventures, taking part in tournaments, or fighting for his lord in battle. He is devoted to the church and the king.