COURSE NUMBER: |
ENGL 311 |
COURSE TITLE: |
Introduction to Medieval British Literature |
NAME OF
INSTRUCTOR: |
Brett Roscoe |
CREDIT WEIGHT
AND WEEKLY TIME DISTRIBUTION: |
credits 3 (hrs lect 3 - hrs sem 0 - hrs lab 0) |
COURSE
DESCRIPTION: |
How are we to understand literature which remains
distant from us in time, space, and even language? Although we may be
able to appreciate the artistry of early writing, only by placing it
within its cultural context can we fully value the achievement of the
past. This course will therefore consider the literary, political,
social and religious climate of the Middle Ages in an investigation of
the rich English literary tradition from its beginnings to the 15th
century.
Prerequisites:
ENGL 214, 215
|
REQUIRED TEXTS: |
- Black, Joseph, et al, eds. The Broadview Anthology of
British Literature. Volume 1 The Medieval Period, 3rd ed.,
Broadview Press, 2015. (ISBN: 9781554812028)
- Note: Other texts are either available online or will
be uploaded to Moodle.
|
MARK
DISTRIBUTION IN PERCENT: |
|
Participation |
10% |
Quizzes |
10% |
Midterm |
15% |
Annotated Bibliography |
10% |
Essay (10 pages) |
30% |
Final Exam |
25% |
|
|
|
100% |
|
COURSE
OBJECTIVES: |
Students will…
- be introduced to major works and genres of medieval
literature.
- learn to link medieval literature to historical,
cultural, and literary contexts.
- develop close reading skills by learning to
appreciate the relation between the form(s) and content of literature.
- be encouraged to read both sympathetically and
critically in a Christian framework.
- gain practice in academic research and essay writing.
|
COURSE OUTLINE: |
Beginnings
- Sept. 5 Introduction to Course
- Sept. 7 Context Lecture
- Sept. 10 Bede, Ecclesiastical
History of the English People (26-30)
Elegy and Wisdom
- Sept. 12 The
Wanderer (41-43)
- Sept. 14 The
Cotton Maxims (53-59)
- Sept. 17 Riddles 26 (pp. 57-58), 47 (p. 58); The Ruin
(47-48)
- Sept. 19 IS conference (regular classes canceled)
Runes and Magic
- Sept. 21 The
Rune Poem (Moodle)
- Sept. 24 Old English Metrical Charms (60-64)
Epic, Lai, and Romance
- Sept. 26 Beowulf
(65-116)
- Sept. 28 Beowulf
(cont.)
- Oct. 1 Beowulf
(cont.)
- Oct. 3 Beowulf
(cont.)
- Oct. 5 Sir
Orfeo (275-85)
- Oct. 8 Sir
Isumbras
(http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/publication/hudson-four-middleenglish-romances)
- Oct. 10 Athelston
(http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/publication/salisbury-four-romances-ofengland)
- Oct. 12 The
Tale of Gamelyn
(http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/publication/knight-andohlgren-robin-hood-and-other-outlaw-tales)
- Oct. 15 Midterm
Biblical Paraphrase
- Oct. 17 Context Lecture
- Oct. 19 OE Exodus (136-45)
- Oct. 22 Patience
(Moodle)
- Oct. 24 Cleanness
(Moodle)
Dream Visions
- Oct. 26 The
Dream of the Rood (49-52)
- Oct. 29 Pearl
(Moodle)
- Oct. 31 Pearl
(cont.)
- Nov. 2 Wynnere
and Wastoure (Moodle)
Saints, Mystics, and Medieval Piety
- Nov. 5 Context Lecture
- Nov. 7 Ælfric
of Eynsham, The Passion of Saint Edmund, King and Martyr
(Moodle)
- Nov. 9 The
Life of Saint Margaret (Moodle)
- Nov. 12 Remembrance Day (no classes)
- Nov. 14 The
Travels of Sir John Mandeville (598-616)
- Nov. 16 The
Travels of Sir John Mandeville (cont.)
- Nov. 19 Medieval Lyrics (in text and online – details
TBA)
- Nov. 21 The
Life of St. Francis of Assissi
(http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/publication/whatley-saints-lives-in-middleenglish-collections)
- Nov. 23 Chaucer, “The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale”
(549-61)
- Nov. 26 Julian of Norwich, A Revelation of Love (617-34)
- Nov. 28 Julian of Norwich, A Revelation of Love (cont.)
Drama
- Nov. 30 Everyman
(Moodle)
- Dec. 3 York Crucifixion (702—07)
- Dec. 5 York Last Judgment (Moodle)
- Dec. 7 Review
|