Spring 2023  |  ENGL 3101 Section 001: Knights and Pilgrims in Medieval Literature (64567)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
A-F or Audit
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Delivery Mode
Meets With:
MEST 3101 Section 001
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
01/17/2023 - 05/01/2023
Mon, Wed 11:15AM - 12:30PM
UMTC, East Bank
Pillsbury Hall 412
Enrollment Status:
Open (27 of 28 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Medieval writers and readers were fascinated by stories about knights and about pilgrims. In this course, we study some of the best-known and most compelling narratives and poems from the Middle Ages. Although written hundreds of years ago, these literary works speak to us of the human desire to strive for meaning and excellence, to work toward shared ideas of community, and to explore worlds beyond the sometimes narrow confines of home. Knights and pilgrims appear as central figures in a wide range of literary works. Some of the texts are humorous, like Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in which pilgrims, from social classes ranging from knights to tradespeople, travel together and tell stories. Some are exciting and emotional, like Malory's retelling of stories about King Arthur and his knights. Others provide us with explorations of longing for change: in these works people search for new kinds of social and spiritual life such as Margery Kempe's autobiographical account of her experiences as a pilgrim to Rome and the Holy Land. Still others, such as Langland's Piers Plowman, which incorporates pilgrimage and chivalric quest, critique and explode static ideas about social problems such as poverty and hunger. Some draw our attention to the dangers and turmoil involved in love and relationships, such as Marie de France's courtly, aristocratic lays: Marie's knights and ladies take up the search for love and meaning. Some, finally, invite us to imagine ourselves in mysterious otherworlds, such as Mandeville's Travels and Sir Orfeo, both of which focus on travel and self knowledge. These exciting and challenging works continue to speak to us about the quest to pursue ideals and to change the world and ourselves.
Class Notes:
This semester's version of "Knights and Pilgrims" (aka: "Survey of Medieval British Literature") will focus on the earlier Middle Ages (from about 500-1200 CE): more "Warriors and Druids" than "Knights and Pilgrims." We will also adopt a comparative literature-style approach to the period in order to do justice to the multi-lingual mix of cultures and traditions in the North Sea region, centering upon Britain. We will study three great traditions of the early Middle Ages: "Anglo-Saxon" (sometimes now termed "Early English"), Norse, and Celtic. All texts will be read in translation. Our Celtic unit will feature the Old Irish sagas and tales of the hero Cuchulainn and the collection of Middle Welsh tales of magic, love and heroism known as The Mabinogion. In our Norse/Viking unit we will read two Old Norse sagas of mythical heroes and explore the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda. Our Anglo-Saxon unit will survey a variety of Old English prose and poetry: heroic poems (including Beowulf), riddles, chronicles, elegies, devotional lyrics, sermons, and saints' lives. These seven hundred years of history left behind a wealth of fascinating, strange and moving texts; our primary goal will be to make these voices speak to us once again. To this end we will apply the necessary historical, aesthetic and generic contexts in order to conjure up the world of these texts and understand them on their own terms. We will cover a wide variety of topics such as manuscript culture, epic and romance, magic and monsters, war, heroism, religious practices (both Christian and pagan), women and gender, comedy and tragedy, orality and literacy, folklore, medieval notions of the body, soul and cosmos. A special focus will be on pre-Christian ("pagan") beliefs in all these traditions and the process of conversion to Christianity. No previous experience with medieval literature is necessary or expected.
Class Description:
This course is an in-depth introduction to the vernacular literary cultures of the British Isles, from approximately 500-1500 A.D. One thousand years of history left behind a wealth of fascinating, strange and moving texts; our primary goal will be to make these voices speak to us once again. To this end we will apply the necessary historical, aesthetic and generic contexts in order to conjure up the world of these texts and understand them on their own terms. We will cover a wide variety of topics such as manuscript culture, epic and romance, war, heroism, religious faith, allegory, women and gender, knighthood and courtly love, comedy and tragedy, medieval notions of the body, soul and cosmos. We will read Old English, Old Irish and Middle Welsh literature (all in translation); we will also read a number of Middle English texts, some in translation, some in the original. Texts will include lyrics, the Irish saga of the hero Cuchulainn, Beowulf and a variety of other Anglo-Saxon works, the collection of Welsh tales of magic, love and heroism known as The Mabinogi, stories of chivalry and Arthur's knights such as Sir Orfeo, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Malory's Morte Darthur, selected works of Chaucer. No previous experience with medieval literature is necessary or expected.
Grading:
15% Midterm Exam
30% Final Exam
30% Reports/Papers
10% Quizzes
15% Class Participation
Exam Format:
objective questions and essays
Class Format:
50% Lecture
50% Discussion
Workload:
80 Pages Reading Per Week
15-20 Pages Writing Per Term
2 Exam(s)
2 Paper(s)
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/64567/1233
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
21 May 2007

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