Fall 2018  |  ENGL 8110 Section 001: Seminar: Medieval Literature and Culture -- Medieval Dreams and Dream Visions (33511)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Class Attributes:
Topics Course
Meets With:
MEST 8110 Section 001
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/04/2018 - 12/12/2018
Tue 02:00PM - 04:30PM
UMTC, East Bank
Lind Hall 226
Enrollment Status:
Open (5 of 8 seats filled)
Course Catalog Description:
Sample topics: Chaucer; "Piers Plowman"; Middle English literature, 1300-1475; medieval literary theory; literature/class in 14th-century; texts/heresies in late Middle Ages.
Class Notes:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?krugx001+ENGL8110+Fall2018 Among the most important literary forms of the later Middle Ages is the poetic dream vision. Like modern readers, medieval audiences were intrigued by the imaginative flexibility that the genre made possible. This course will consider the context in which such poems were written (what did medieval people think about dreams? how did they understand their value? where did these ideas come from?), the poems themselves including now canonical works such as the Gawain-poet's Pearl; Langland's Piers Plowman; and Chaucer's Book of the Duchess as well as works that are now less familiar, and diverse writing about dreams from the later Middle Ages. We will focus especially on religious and medical traditions surrounding dreams (and to this end will also read classical writing including Aristotle and Artemidorus) and on contemporary theories of dreams and dreaming (especially cognitive/behavioral studies of the nature of dreaming). Primary texts will be in Middle English but parallel text editions are widely available for students interested in the course but concerned about language issues. The course has two goals: to familiarize students with the fascinating primary material and to prepare students to conduct independent, original research. Short essays, book reviews, annotated bibliographies of recent criticism, presentations, regular attendance, and a substantial seminar paper are required of all seminar members.
Class Description:
Medieval Dreams and Dream Visions:

Among the most important literary forms of the later Middle Ages is the poetic dream vision. Like modern readers, medieval audiences were intrigued by the imaginative flexibility that the genre made possible. This course will consider the context in which such poems were written (what did medieval people think about dreams? how did they understand their value? where did these ideas come from?), the poems themselves including now canonical works such as the Gawain-poet's Pearl; Langland's Piers Plowman; and Chaucer's Book of the Duchess as well as works that are now less familiar, and diverse writing about dreams from the later Middle Ages.

We will focus especially on religious and medical traditions surrounding dreams (and to this end will also read classical writing including Aristotle and Artemidorus) and on contemporary theories of dreams and dreaming (especially cognitive/behavioral studies of the nature of dreaming). Primary texts will be in Middle English but parallel text editions are widely available for students interested in the course but concerned about language issues.

The course has two goals: to familiarize students with the fascinating primary material and to prepare students to conduct independent, original research. Short essays, book reviews, annotated bibliographies of recent criticism, presentations, regular attendance, and a substantial seminar paper are required of all seminar members.
Who Should Take This Class?:
Graduate students
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/33511/1189
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
8 June 2018

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