Gifts and commodities in Sir Amadace

This article defends the artistic coherence of the fourteenth-century chivalric romance Sir Amadace, arguing that its story is designed to exemplify the wisdom and the ultimate profitability of reckless spending. To highlight its success in this respect, I refer to medieval analogues of Amadace, and I draw on pertinent sociological and anthropological work on gifts and commodities to illuminate the forcefulness of the poet's position that noble people should give unsparingly, be their gifts material goods or human lives. Focusing particularly on the religious beliefs that underpin the poet's faith in all-out largesse, and on the power of giving and forgiving to create enduring bonds of gratitude, this article explores the compelling logic that drives the plot of this romance, and at times inspires its poetry. © Oxford University Press 2000.