'The Middle Ages' persist as a source of contemporary and popular cultural fascination. This course introduces students to a range of different high and late medieval literary texts and genres, from early tales about King Arthur over romances such as prolific author Marie de France's Anglo-Norman Lais (later 12th century), Heldris of Cornwall's gender bender adventure Roman de Silence (early 13th century), the Pearl Poet's Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (c. 1375-1400), and Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (c. 1469-70), in which we will study the literary notions of courtly love and the quest.
We will also go on a pilgrimage with Geoffrey
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
(c.1387-1400) and encounter an outspoken Margery of Kempe (1436-38), and
probably, somewhere along the way, we will have a date with Robin Hood. We will
look at the famous Mystery Plays (15th century), discover medieval
love poetry and ballads still sung today, and we will discuss Medievalism, the
desire for origins, notions of diversity, nature vs. nurture, and multiple
medieval pasts and presents.
Picture:
This is a detail from "The Knight's Tale" from the Ellesmere Chaucer (mssEL 26 C 9), an elaborately decorated manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (c. 1387-1400). It was created between 1400 and 1410 and is held by the Huntington Library in San Marino/CA.
- Lehrende(r): Julia Boll