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Course Offerings

Course Details

Fall 2012-2013
* ENG 314 / MED 314 (LA)  

The Medieval Romance: Writing Sex and Death

D. Vance Smith

This course examines the most important form of imaginative literature in medieval England, covering at least as much terrain as the modern novel. We will focus on the romance's fascination with spectacle, luxury, love, myth, death, and rule, and consider the ways in which the recurrent subjects of identity, mourning, economics, and religious devotion subvert or reinforce structures of authority and belief.

Sample reading list:
Anon., Sir Orfeo
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Knight's Tale, The Wife of Bath's Tale
Anon., The Alliterative Morte Arthure
Anon., The Avowyng of Arthure
Anon., The Erle of Tolouse
Anon., Floris and Blancheflour
See instructor for complete list

Reading/Writing assignments:
50-150 pages of reading per week; 2 papers of 7-10 pages.

Requirements/Grading:
Take Home Mid term Exam - 10%
Take Home Final Exam - 20%
Papers - 50%
Class/Precept Participation - 20%

Prerequisites and Restrictions:
No familiarity with Middle English or with medieval literature is assumed. Along with a course in Chaucer this course will give students a comprehensive idea of the most important literature of medieval and early Renaissance England. We will also examine descriptions of travel to imaginary, otherworldly, and devotional places; the role of the household in the writing and preservation of literature; and the function and nature of chivalry..

Other information:
Department Distribution: British Foundation

Schedule/Classroom assignment:

Class numberSectionTimeDaysRoomEnrollmentStatus
22957 L01 10:00 am - 10:50 am M W   Aaron Burr Hall   216   Enrolled:17 Limit:
P01 1:30 pm - 2:20 pm M   McCosh Hall   24   Enrolled:10 Limit:13
P02 11:00 am - 11:50 am W   Aaron Burr Hall   216   Enrolled:7 Limit:13