TH  1/13:  Introduction to Course:  Why Study Medieval Literature?  Discuss Syllabus & Assignments.

F  1/14:  Introduction to the History of English;  Introduction to the Medieval period.  Discuss selection of topics for Papers.  “Introduction” in Norton (1-20);  “Preface” and “Introduction” in Fee (ix-xi and 3-9).

M  1/17:  Introducing the Lost Gods of Britain:  “Gods?  These Yahoos carry on like the cast of an Aussie soap opera!”  “The Pantheons” and “Deity Types” in Fee (13-73 and 75-83).

W  1/19:  Introduction to Old English Language and Literature, Prose and Poetry;  Bede and The Dream of the Rood:  can you identify any Germanic/pagan elements in DoR?

F  1/21:  The Ruthwell Cross, The Cult of the Cross, and the Germanic tradition of the Warrior Christ in The Dream of the Rood;  “The Dying God” and “Sacred Objects and Places” in Fee (83-88 and 111-116).

M  1/24:  Introduction to Beowulf:  Christian elements and Germanic traditions (Wyrd, Fate, Providence).  Beowulf lines 1-916;  why does Grendel attack the Danes?  Mythic Archetypes in Beowulf:  “The Norns,” “The Valkyries,” “The Draugar,” “The Hero’s Descent into the Otherworld,” and “Heroic Battles with Monsters” in Fee (101-104, 107-108, 124-126, and 127-133).

W  1/26:  Beowulf (cont.):  Oral Culture and Oral Formulaic Theory.  Beowulf lines 917-2072;  why does the poet include the story of Hildeburh?  What other “asides” have you noticed?  What function do they serve?  The Beowulf poet’s sense of history:  “Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon Heroic Saga as History” in Fee (166-168).

F  1/28:  QUIZ 1 DUE. Conclude Beowulf:  Heroic ethos, social structure, and the comitatus.  Beowulf through the end;  what is Wicglaf’s significance?  That of the Dragon?  Grendel and his dam?  What is the role of “ring-giving” in the poem?  What about “peace-weaving”?  How successful are these practices?  Norse analogues to Beowulf:  “The Bear’s Son” and “Norse Echoes of English Heroic Sagas” in Fee (106-107 and 155-160).

M  1/31:  Introduction to the Old English Elegiac tradition:  The Wife’s Lament and The Wanderer (Norton);  The Husband’s Message, Deor, and The Seafarer (xerox);  what makes these poems “Pagan”?  What makes them “Christian”?  “Weland/Volundr” and “Volundr the Smith” in Fee (61-63 and 160-161).

W  2/2:  Introduction to the Viking Age and the Historical Maldon;  The Battle of Maldon;  is Birhtnoth heroic or foolish?  According to his standards or yours?

F  2/4:  Maldon (cont.);  Maldon;  how seriously does the poet take the heroic code?  The Viking Settlement and Kingdoms in Britain and Ireland;  the Danelaw;  Norse culture, language and literature, and the connections between Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon.  How did the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons speak to one another, anyway?  “Sagas of Anglo-Saxon England” and “Anglo-Saxon Historical Sagas and Heroism” in Fee (161-166).

M  2/7:  Old English language lesson;  in-class Maldon tutorial.  Old English Language Exercise:  Take-home Old English/Maldon worksheet.

W  2/9:  MALDON EXERCISE DUE IN CLASS. Peer-assessment of Maldon worksheet.  Tutorial in reading Old English aloud.  Practice reading Maldon in Old English.

F  2/11:  Introduction to Middle English Language and Literature and to the Legends of King Arthur;  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight through line 490;  is Arthur justified in passing on the challenge?  Read also “Legendary Histories of Britain.”  OLD ENGLISH PAPER DUE.

M  2/14:  SGGK through line 1124;  why is Gawain’s journey described as it is?  Heroic Quests:  “Heroic Journeys and Quests” in Fee (121-122).

W  2/16:  SGGK through line 1997;  what is the relationship between the temptations and the hunts?

F 2/18: NO CLASS: READING DAY

M  2/21:  SGGK to the end;  why does Arthur’s court respond to Gawain in the way that it does?

W  2/23:  Discussion of Medieval Romance and the Mythic Archetypes of SGGK.  “The Trickster God” and “The Sacrificial Quest” in Fee (88-101 and 191-201).

F  2/25:  QUIZ 2 DUE. Introduction to Medieval Mysticism and the role of women in Medieval literature:   Julian of Norwich;  what is God?  What is “mystical” about Julian’s conception of God?

M  2/28:  Julian of Norwich;  what do you make of Julian’s spirituality?  What would you say if you heard such stories today?  In what ways is she a product of her times?

W  3/2:  The Book of Margery Kemp;  think about Margery’s spirituality;  what about her sexuality?  Are Julian and Margery anomalies?  Why?  In what ways do you think they were like/unlike other people of their period?  Other women?  Modern people/women?  Review for exam.

F 3/4:  MIDTERM EXAM

M 3/7:  Introduction to the Life and Times of Geoffrey Chaucer;  pronouncing Chaucer; the structure of The Canterbury Tales;  Chaucer’s continental debts.  The General Prologue;  what do you learn about our narrators through the GP?  Why?

W 3/9:  Choose your favorite pilgrim;  come prepared to recite the description of this pilgrim (in Middle English!) from the GP and to comment upon it.

F 3/11:  QUIZ 3 DUE. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue;  think about the role of women in Chaucer?  What do you think of the wife?  What do you think Chaucer wanted you to think?  Why?

M 3/14:  The Wife of Bath’s Tale;  Chaucer’s use of folklore and his appropriation of the tradition of King Arthur.  Also read Lanval by Marie de France in the Norton and “The Love Quest” and “The Penitential Quest” in Fee (201-210).

W 3/16:  The Nun’s Priest’s Prologue and Tale;  read also The Wolf and the Lamb and The Wolf and the Sow by Marie de France.  Think about the way that the Beast Fable functions as a genre, and what the point of it is.  The Wife of Bath was a great one for citing authorities;  to what end?  What is the function of authorities in this tale? 

F 3/18: The Miller’s Prologue and Tale;  discussion of the genre of the fabliau;  is such a tale subversive?
Choose your favorite character;  come prepared to recite the initial description of this character (in Middle English!) from The Miller’s Tale and to comment upon it.  Middle English Language Exercise:  take-home Miller’s Tale worksheet.

M  3/21-M  3/28:  NO CLASS:  SPRING BREAK

W 3/29:  MILLER'S TALE EXERCISE DUE IN CLASS. Peer assessment of Miller’s Tale worksheet;  discussion of sex, shit, and subversion in Chaucer’s fabliau.

F 4/1:  QUIZ 4 DUE. Introduction to Medieval Drama.  The Second Shepherd’s Play through page 331;  what social commentary can you find in this play?  What is Mak’s allegorical function?  Where does Mak hide the sheep?  Why is that significant?

M  4/4:  The Second Shepherd’s Play through the end;  why is the story of Mak interwoven with the Christmas story?  What is the significance of Mak’s punishment? Video selections from Toronto production (1975).  Dramatic reenactment of key scenes from the play.

W  4/6:  Introduction to Early Modern English Language and Literature; the Great Vowel Shift;  the advent of printing.  Introduction to Shakespeare’s Comedy, Puck, and the Fairies.  Shakespeare’s use of folklore.  A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 1.  MIDDLE ENGLISH PAPER DUE.

F  4/8:  A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 2.

M  4/11:  A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 3.

W  4/13:  A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 4 & Act 5. Discussion of Dream mythic archetypes and folkloric elements.

F 4/15: QUIZ 5 DUE. Introduction to Shakespeare’s Tragedy and the Lear story;  Shakespeare’s sense of history and legend.  King Lear Act 1.

M  4/18:  King Lear Act 2.

W  4/20:  King Lear Act 3.

F  4/22:  King Lear Act 4.  

M  4/25:    King Lear Act 5.  Early Modern English Language Exercise:  take-home Lear worksheet.

W  4/27: KING LEAR EXERCISE DUE IN CLASS. Introduction to the linguistic aspects of Early Modern English.  Discussion of the Lear mythic archetypes and folkloric elements.  Peer assessment of Lear worksheet.

F  4/29: Review for exam.
 

RENAISSANCE ENGLISH PAPER DUE ON MONDAY, 2 MAY BY 12:00 NOON.
 

FINAL EXAMINATIONS:

April 30-May 1, Saturday-Sunday Reading Days
May 2-4, Monday-Wednesday Final examinations
May 5, Thursday Reading Day
May 6-7, Friday-Saturday Final examinations

ENGLISH 230 FINAL EXAM SLOT: FRIDAY MAY 6: 1:30-4:30 PM