Prerequisite: French 3016 or (for graduate students) permission of the instructor. The class is conducted in modern French. No prior experience of the medieval language is expected. Through the reading and performance of original texts, this course introduces students to Old French vocabulary, phonetics, and grammar. Along the way, students will learn about the varieties of medieval French literature, its historical context and social functions, how it originally circulated, and how artists today work from medieval manuscripts to create new performances. Coursework will alternate between recitation and interpretive performance, language lessons, oral and written exercises, and the reading, translation, and analysis of Old French texts. By the end of the semester, students will have debated traditional proverbs and produced a play, Jean Bodel's Jeu de saint Nicolas, figuring out how to represent its themes in a contemporary setting. They will have read and discussed a love story in the form of a chantefable (Aucassin et Nicolette), as well as short narratives (the lai and fabliau) and songs (the chanson de toile, chanson de mal mariée, rondeau, pastourelle, grand chant courtois, and congé). French 5571 is intended for graduate students, honors undergraduates or other high-achieving juniors and seniors with particular interest in linguistics, history of the book, or medieval literature. In addition to the lessons of 3571, these students will learn how to read and edit texts from medieval manuscripts. French 5571 is now the prerequisite for French 8190, the Old French Workshop, an advanced language practicum accompanying research seminars.