Reflecting on his interview with Mario Pei, NPR's Robert Krulwich noted that "for 500 years now, this altogether American, very gallant if not particularly intelligent animal has never once been given an American name.
Margaret Atwood, in her essay "Concerning Franklin and His Gallant Crew," from 1991, identifies it as a kind of origin myth of disaster in the Canadian experience.
The mountain formed the seaward boundary of a large island, and the narrow strip of rocky shore upon which we stood was strewn with the wreckage of a thousand gallant ships, while the bones of the luckless mariners shone white in the sunshine, and we shuddered to think how soon our own would be added to the heap.
"He is the grandest and most gallant gentleman in the whole country," said Grubbe the knight; "that is not a thing to despise.
Look at the gallant knights in armor and the noble ladies in silk and gold!
how terrible to see The gallant bark sink rapidly.
thought I; their shepherd will be a gallant knight, perhaps a prince.
He saw the knights of olden times and noble ladies ride by through the wood on their gallant steeds, with plumes waving in their hats, and falcons on their wrists.
"That afternoon we reached the Crab Inn, which was a gallant place at that time, the very best inn on the whole trip, with the prettiest country around it.
