English 111 - Spring, 2014

Medieval Literature

Class Information

Instructor: Smith, Kendra
Time: TR 10:30-11:50
Location: 146 Olson

Description

ENL 111 -- Arthurian Literature

Chronicle history and myth overlapped in 12th-century England to produce one of the most well-known and enduring figures in English literature: King Arthur. The stories surrounding this “once and future king” and his illustrious court have been repeatedly re-worked over the centuries, and continue to fascinate us today—as evidenced in the profusion of popular film versions and modern re-tellings. Through lecture and discussion, we will examine medieval Arthurian legend from its Celtic and British roots (including Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain); to its major late-medieval retellings (including Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Alliterative Morte Arthure); to its transmission into print culture with the works of Sir Thomas Malory in the early 15th century. Through these readings, we will take account of certain aspects of late-medieval culture and society: attitudes toward war and politics, ideas about women, marriage and relationships, notions of honor and treachery, and the complex demands of knighthood. Several major texts will be read in Middle English.



Grading

A paper of 1400 words (4–5 pages), 15%; a final paper of 2000 words (7–8 pages), 25%; reading quizzes, 10%; section attendance and participation, 10%; midterm, 15%; and a final exam, 25%.

Texts

Arthurian Romances, Chretien de Troyes (ed. and trans. William Kibler and Carlton Carroll)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, ed. Winny
King Arthur's Death: The Middle English Stanzaic Morte Arthur and Alliterative Morte Arthure, ed. Larry D. Benson and Edward E. Foster
Works, by Sir Thomas Malory, ed. Eugene Vinaver