Instructor: C. Fee

Meeting Time: MWF 11:00-11:50

Meeting Place: MCC-203

Office: G-313A

Office Hours: MWF 1:00-2:00, MW 3:30-4:30, and by appointment

Office Phone: x6762

Home Phone: 528-4799 (Call before 10:00 p.m.)

E-mail: cfee@gettysburg.edu

Class E-mail:  ENG-317-A@gettysburg.edu
 

Required Texts:

Benson, Larry, ed. The Riverside Chaucer. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1987.

Burrow, J.A. and Thorlac Turville-Petre, eds. A Book of Middle English. 2^nd ed. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1996.
 

General Course Objectives:

This course is designed to introduce you to the language, literature, and culture of England from a time shortly after the Norman Conquest up until the beginning of the Renaissance. This period includes the work of Geoffrey Chaucer, but literature in Middle English is by no means limited to Chaucer; this course reflects the rich variety in language and literature available in English from the early twelfth through the mid-fifteenth centuries. It might be more accurate to say "these languages", because Middle English changes over time, and also because there were several competing dialects in different geographical locations. For this reason some Middle English seems easy to read to modern readers, while some is more akin to Old English than to Modern English. We will begin our study with later, more familiar works, and move on to less accessible ones as we become more comfortable with the nuances of Middle English orthography, grammar, and vocabulary. Because of the wide range of genres and dialects which we wish to study, we will be reading a good number of texts; most of the readings are quite manageable in length (often only 10-20 pages per class session), but be aware that you might find reading Middle English time consuming and difficult at points. You are responsible for all of the readings on the schedule, whether or not we have time to discuss them all in class.
 

Specific Course Objectives and Course Structure:

By the end of the course you will have achieved three goals: 1) You will be able to read Middle English with a fair degree of fluency, and will be familiar with major linguistic features of some key dialects and periods; 2) You will have first-hand experience with a wide range of texts and genres which are representative of this literary period; 3) You will be aware of the larger historical and cultural context of Middle English, and will be able to trace some of the connections between cultural forces and linguistic change. To achieve these varied goals, the class has been structured to combine literary, linguistic, and historical/cultural elements. In a typical week there will be some lecture, and we will spend the rest of our time discussing the assigned reading; these discussions will begin with problems you encountered with the language, ideas, etc., and will move on to conversations of larger literary and cultural issues which you found to be of note--the lectures may lay a groundwork for such discoveries. Much of our discussion will place the texts which we study in their literary and historical context; it is important, however, that we don't become so interested in these issues that we lose sight of the language involved. To that end, at times during the semester we will pause to focus very closely on linguistic elements of various texts. Because of the nature of our discussions, and the volume of literature which we will cover, it is vital that you keep up with the reading. This is both a participation-oriented course and a writing intensive course; grades are therefore largely determined by these two aspects of the course.
 

Course Evaluation:

Daily Preparation & Participation: 10%

Reaction Papers & E-mail responses: 20%

Background Oral Report & Handout 10%

Oral Report, Handout, & Annotated Bibliography: 10%

Short Paper: 20%

Long Paper: 30%
 
 

Preparation & Participation:

You are expected to be present, prepared, and ready to participate in each and every class period.  Some find participating in class discussions to be fun and easy, while others find it threatening and uncomfortable;  it is part of your task to help to provide a comfortable, supportive class environment in which all members are empowered to speak.  This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t argue;  far from it.  It is important, however, that we be respectful of one another, and that we solicit opinions which diverge from our own.  In this course we will read texts aloud, in the original Middle English, every class period.  You will be expected to read only short selections prior to each class, but you will be expected to have read each selection completely and carefully several times, to have practiced reading sections of  it aloud, and to be able to translate and contextualize any given passage.  Each day I will ask each member of the class to read portions of the Middle English text aloud and to offer a translation and some commentary upon that selection.  Your participation score (10% of your total grade!) will depend largely upon your efforts in this endeavor.  In addition to this requirement, you must be prepared to answer an occasional question, articulate intelligent confusion, or voice the odd query (about the subject matter at hand rather than, say, grading procedures!).  This is always a touchy and somewhat subjective area to evaluate, so you’ll do us both a favor by trying to put in your two cents!
 

Course Requirements:

Reaction Papers & E-mail Responses:

Every other week you must prepare a 1-2 page (250-500 word) reaction paper, for a total of 7 short papers. The weeks between which you prepare a reaction paper, I expect you to participate in an electronic forum regarding the readings and class discussions (you are not limited in this regard, however; you may certainly e-mail as often as you wish!). Use the class e-mail alias for this purpose. I will keep all of your reaction papers in a file until the end of the term, at which time I will assess the thoughtfulness, creativity, and regularity of your reaction papers across the length of the term. Your e-mail responses will be evaluated in a similar way. You may write about whatever strikes your fancy: What is interesting? What is boring? What relates to post-modern life? What is entirely alien? What is offensive? Why do you feel the way that you do about it? Say what's on your mind about the texts/discussions, but don't fail to examine your own reactions, perceptions, and preconceptions. See the sample reaction papers for guidelines. Generally speaking, what is most important about these exercises is your attempt to assimilate class discussions, readings from the texts, and your own intellectual and emotional responses. Try really to react with the material, and feel free to take some risks; as long as it is clear that you have put some time and thought into these exercises, you will do quite well on this portion of the course. As these exercises are meant to spur and extend class discussions, they may not be made up; start next week (with one or the other--it doesn't matter which), and be sure to keep up with these weekly exercises. For the purposes of these exercises, Thursday night at 5:00 p.m. is the end of each week; late reaction papers/e-mail responses will not be accepted.
 

Oral Reports, Handouts, and Annotated Bibliography:

There will be two oral reports. The first oral report will be a presentation of the basic background information necessary for an informed study of one of the texts on the schedule. This might be termed a "sources, analogues, and manuscripts" report. Your job is find out what the sources for your text might have been (and if there is any debate concerning sources!), what some other closely related texts might be (and why you think so!), how many manuscripts of this text are thought to have been produced and in what dialects (and why these factors might be important!), and where the extant manuscripts are now. A great deal of this information may be found in your two books, but try a little harder than that, and see if you can find something interesting which we might not otherwise discover. Think about the various texts on the schedule over the weekend, and on Monday we'll sign up for reports and dates. These reports will start next week and continue throughout the term; they should be 3-5 minutes long, and be accompanied by a handout.

The second oral report will be given in class sometime on or after Monday, March 2. It is your responsibility to make sure that you schedule and present this report. This report should combine a synopsis of the thesis and structure of your long paper with an overview of the most important scholarly work already written on the subject. With the handout for this report you must include an annotated bibliography of at least 8-10 works providing the critical context of your topic. "Annotated" means that you provide a brief overview of each item, including your assessment of its value to your classmates and to your own research (see sample annotated bibliography). By "critical context", I mean those books and articles which are concerned with ideas similar to, supporting, or related to your own thesis regarding your topic. Thus, if you are interested in exploring gender roles and spirituality in Middle English mystical writings, you would probably want to look at Julian of Norwich and Margery Kemp as well as the Ancrene Wisse, and you would look for articles and books concerned with these topics and these texts. You would then compile a bibliography of the most useful works and annotate them. This should be an aid both to the class in general, and to you specifically in sifting through and absorbing critical works relevant to your research topic. The research which you put into this exercise will form the basis of your long paper. Be aware that the library might not have enough good items which you wish to use, so use the MLA bibliography soon to find a dozen or more sources (yes, more than you think you'll need--trust me on this one!), and ILL the ones which we don't have. You must actually put your hands (and eyes!) on a source to determine its value; don't be suckered by titles. Do not expect mercy late in the term because the library has no sources which you find useful. I will be happy to point you in the right direction as you explore these topics, but bear in mind that part of the exercise is the basic research involved in compiling a bibliography and summarizing information. This report should be limited to 5-7 minutes.

Along with both of your reports you should prepare a handout for the class; each handout should contain a short synopsis (outline form is fine) of your main points concerning that report. The format of the bibliography should conform with MLA guidelines. Both handouts and the annotated bibliography must be typed, double-spaced, clear, and helpful; bring enough copies of each for all of your classmates (and two of each for me!). Late handouts/bibliographies are not acceptable. Creativity is acceptable: pictures, diagrams, audio-visual aids, and clever illustrations are highly recommended. A word to the wise: don't be boring!
 

Papers:

There will be two papers. The first paper will be 8-10 pages in length, and should focus on some critical, cultural, or historical aspect of a number (say 2 or more) of texts and/or genres from the Middle English period. You may write about anything you please; e.g. you might try to struggle with the nature of medieval spirituality, to develop a feminist reading of Chaucer, to offer a close examination of the language of the Ancrene Wisse, or to compose a discussion of the relationship between political history and the Arthurian tradition. For this paper you should be aware of relevant critical work and allude to it as appropriate, but the focus should be on developing at some length your own interaction with medieval texts and ideas. This assignment is purposely a bit vague and open-ended, because I don't want to close you off to possibilities which may interest you. You may well find that some of your reaction papers provide you with very interesting possible paper topics. You may write on any topic you please; all I require is that you seek me out to discuss your topic (or to pitch a number of possible topics) before the end of week 4 (that is, by Friday, February 13). It is your responsibility to seek me out wherever I hide, to drop in on me unannounced, to set up a formal appointment, to invite me to lunch, or whatever. This paper is due Monday, March 16 (the day after Spring Recess).

The second paper will be 15-20 pages in length, and should illustrate your mastery of critical and scholarly materials as well as your ability to interact profitably with medieval texts and ideas. Again, the topic is wide open, and might well grow out of one or more of your reaction papers. This paper may not duplicate the work presented in paper one. The final draft of paper two will be based upon research which you will present to the class in the form of an oral report, informative handout, and annotated bibliography (see above). In this paper you should stake out your position regarding your topic in the context of other scholarly voices. It is difficult to give precise guidelines for such an assignment, but it would be reasonable to expect that you will deal at some length with a minimum of 2-3 primary (medieval) texts and a minimum of 4-5 secondary (modern critical) articles or books. You should begin thinking about this paper (and looking for sources!) immediately, and you must schedule a formal conference to discuss this paper with me. We should have this conference before the end of week 6 (that is, by Friday, February 27); sooner would be preferable, as oral reports will commence on Monday, March 2. This paper is due Thursday, April 30 (the last day of classes).
 

*A word of warning about library resources: the library's medieval holdings are extremely eclectic; there is no guarantee that what you need (even fundamental materials) can be found in the stacks. On the other hand, I often receive fairly hard-to-get research materials through ILL within a week or so. The moral of this little anecdote should be self-evident: do not put off your preliminary research. Start your research early (read: now), and come to me (at least 2-3 weeks in advance!) if you need help getting things through ILL.*
 

Week 1: The Historical Setting of Middle English Literature; Introduction to Middle English Language; An Overview of Middle English Literature; Chaucer's Life and Times. The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales (The Riverside Chaucer); "Introducing Middle English", "Pronouncing Middle English", and "Metre" (A Book of Middle English).

Week 2: The Grammar, Syntax, and Vocabulary of Middle English. The Wife of Bath's Prologue (RC); "Vocabulary", "Inflections", and "Syntax" (BME).

Week 3: The Genre of the Fabliau: The Scatological, Chaucer's Subversive Humor, and the Language of The Canterbury Tales. The Reeve's Tale, The Miller's Tale (RC).

Week 4: The Friar's Tale, The Summoner's Tale, The Cook's Tale, The Shipman's Tale (RC).

Week 5: The Genre of the Romance. The Wife of Bath's Tale, The Knight's Tale, The Franklin's Tale (RC).

Week 6: Classical and Celtic Influences, and King Arthur and Medieval Romance. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Brut (BME).

Week 7: Sir Orfeo, The Supernatural, Celtic Folktale Traditions, and the East Midlands Dialect of Middle English. Sir Orfeo (BME).

Week 8: Biblical Models of Middle English Verse: The Book of Jonah and the Exemplum of Patience. Patience (BME).

Week 9: Miracula and Saints' Lives: Popular or Devotional Literature? The Prioress's Tale and The Second Nun's Tale (RC); St. Erkenwald (BME).

Week 10: The Dream Vision, Allegory, and Morality: Piers Plowman and The House of Fame. Piers Plowman (BME); The House of Fame (RC).

Week 11: The Ancrene Wisse, Devotional Literature, The South-West Midlands Dialect, and a Literary Standard in Early Middle English. Ancrene Wisse (BME).

Week 12: Philosophical Sources, the Medieval World View, and Chaucer as Translator: Boethius and Boece. Boece (RC).

Week 13: "If I could talk to the animals": Animal Fables, Didacticism, and Popular Wisdom in Middle English Poetry. The Nun's Priest's Tale and The Parliament of Foules (RC); The Owl and the Nightingale (BME).

Week 14: "Child, it is a weping dale pat pu art comen inne": Middle English Lyric Poetry. Assorted Lyrics (BME).

Week 15: "Mystery Plays": Medieval Drama as Popular Art Form. Staging of The York Play of the Crucifixion; The York Play of the Crucifixion (BME).