Chaucer: Troilus and "Minor" Poems
Class Information
Instructor: Chaganti, Seeta
Time: MWF 10:00-10:50
Location: 118 Olson
Description
This course explores the poems Geoffrey Chaucer composed before his most famous work, the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer was interested in dream visions, love lyrics, political critique, allegories, and heroic and romantic stories from ancient Greece and Rome, and his beautiful poetry covers all these topics and more. We will look at the tradition of the medieval dream vision as a foundation for Chaucer's work, and then move into his own quirky and imaginative dream poems. Talking animals, ice palaces, and lonely knights all play roles in these intriguing and atmospheric texts. The course will culminate with a reading of Troilus and Criseyde, Chaucer's great narrative of the Trojan War. This poem lays bare the tragic impact of military and political concerns upon the worlds of love and domesticity.
Grading
The factors which will determine your final grade include quizzes (15%; lowest quiz dropped); your first paper (15%); your second paper and proposal (25%); your midterm (15%) and final exam (20%); and section participation (10%).
Texts
Dream Visions and Other Poems, Chaucer
Troilus and Criseyde, Chaucer