The Calendar will be updated: the primary texts are all here and stable, but secondary sources will be added.
This calendar is dynamic: it will be updated during the course of the term if necessary. If you have any question about what is due for a specific day, check here: even if I make a mistake and say something different than this in class, this calendar is always right.
1st Week (Jan 15)
Introductions
Reading: a smorgasbord week. Please bring in the Norton this week; other texts will be handouts.
• Luke 24; Hebrews 11; Revelations 21-22; Augustine, selections from On Christian Doctrine and The City of God); Dante, selections from La Vita Nuova (40-42) and Inferno, (Cantos 1-2); Chaucer, "General Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales (ll. 1-78); Ralegh, “The Passionate Pilgrim”; Spenser, The Faerie Queene, "Letter of the Author's," Commendatory Verses, and Bk. 1, Canto 1
• (no secondary readings this week)
Writing:
2nd Week (Jan 22)
Pre- and Proto-Literate Journeys
Reading: a smorgasbord week
• We read four groups of texts for this week. 1) The Seafarer (handout) and The Wanderer; 2) Bede, History of the English Church 4.28-5.7 (trans. Shirley-Price; handout); 3) The Voyage of St. Brendan (trans. Webb; handout); and 4) The Saga of Eirik the Red
• Kunz, "Introduction"
Writing:
response prompts.
Reading: a smorgasbord week
• We read four groups of texts for this week. 1) The Seafarer (handout) and The Wanderer; 2) Bede, History of the English Church 4.28-5.7 (trans. Shirley-Price; handout); 3) The Voyage of St. Brendan (trans. Webb; handout); and 4) The Saga of Eirik the Red
• Kunz, "Introduction"
Writing:
response prompts.3rd Week (Jan 29 )
History or Romance?
Reading:
• Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Britain, ed. Thorpe, chs. 1, 4-8.
• Heng, Empire of Magic, Introduction (you will have to log in to access this); Hayden White, "The Value of Narrativity"
Writing: response prompts.
Reading:
• Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Britain, ed. Thorpe, chs. 1, 4-8.
• Heng, Empire of Magic, Introduction (you will have to log in to access this); Hayden White, "The Value of Narrativity"
Writing:
response prompts.4th Week (Feb 5 )
Chrétien, Part 1
Reading:
•
"The Knight of the Cart (Lancelot)"
• Morris, selections from The Discovery of the Individual (1-10, 121-22, 133-38); Poulet, "Criticism and the Experience of Interiority" (on Blackboard); Frye, "Introduction" to "Archetypal Criticism: Theory of Myths," from Anatomy of Criticism (on Blackboard)
Writing: response prompts.
Reading:
•
"The Knight of the Cart (Lancelot)"• Morris, selections from The Discovery of the Individual (1-10, 121-22, 133-38); Poulet, "Criticism and the Experience of Interiority" (on Blackboard); Frye, "Introduction" to "Archetypal Criticism: Theory of Myths," from Anatomy of Criticism (on Blackboard)
Writing:
response prompts.5th Week (Feb 12)
Chrétien, Part 2
Reading:
• "The Story of the Grail (Perceval)"
• Frye, "The Mythos of Summer: Romance," from Anatomy of Criticism (on Blackboard); and either Jauss, "Theory of Genres and Medieval Literature," or Jameson, "Magical Narratives" (on Blackboard).
Writing: response prompts.
Turn in
this form by today to tell me whether you've chosen to write one or two papers for the course.
Reading:
• "The Story of the Grail (Perceval)"
• Frye, "The Mythos of Summer: Romance," from Anatomy of Criticism (on Blackboard); and either Jauss, "Theory of Genres and Medieval Literature," or Jameson, "Magical Narratives" (on Blackboard).
Writing:
response prompts.Turn in
this form by today to tell me whether you've chosen to write one or two papers for the course.6th Week (Feb 19)
Mandeville
Reading:
• The Travels of Sir John Mandeville; Marco Polo, The Travels, selections (trans. Latham, as a handout)
• Required: Zumthor, "The Medieval Travel Narrative"; and Campbell, "Mandeville Naturalizes the East. Optional: Strickland, "The Exotic in the Later Middle Ages"; and Said, "Introduction" to Orientalism
Writing: response prompts.
Reading:
• The Travels of Sir John Mandeville; Marco Polo, The Travels, selections (trans. Latham, as a handout)
• Required: Zumthor, "The Medieval Travel Narrative"; and Campbell, "Mandeville Naturalizes the East. Optional: Strickland, "The Exotic in the Later Middle Ages"; and Said, "Introduction" to Orientalism
Writing:
response prompts.7th Week (Feb 26)
Later Medieval Pilgrimage
Reading: a smorgasbord week
• We have three groups of texts to read for this week. Before we discuss these, in class there will be a presentation about pilgrimage trails and art along the path to Santiago de Compostela. 1) Langland, Piers Plowman, Passus 1-7 (handout), discussion of which will form the core of the class; 2) several texts which present complementary late-medieval portrayals of pilgrimage: Chaucer, "General Prologue," ll. 1-78 and 717-860, and the "Prologue" to the "Parson's Tale" (313-15, which we read for first week as well); selections from the Lollard William Thorpe's Testimony (handout); and 3) begin The Book of Margery Kempe, reading up to the end of ch. 35 (p. 65). Here is an outline of Piers Plowman.
• Zacher, "Pilgrimage," from Curiosity and Pilgrimage (on electronic reserve and Blackboard); Alford, "The Design of the Poem," and Robertson, "Introduction" to his translation of Piers Plowman (handouts).
Writing: response prompts.
Reading: a smorgasbord week
• We have three groups of texts to read for this week. Before we discuss these, in class there will be a presentation about pilgrimage trails and art along the path to Santiago de Compostela. 1) Langland, Piers Plowman, Passus 1-7 (handout), discussion of which will form the core of the class; 2) several texts which present complementary late-medieval portrayals of pilgrimage: Chaucer, "General Prologue," ll. 1-78 and 717-860, and the "Prologue" to the "Parson's Tale" (313-15, which we read for first week as well); selections from the Lollard William Thorpe's Testimony (handout); and 3) begin The Book of Margery Kempe, reading up to the end of ch. 35 (p. 65). Here is
an outline of Piers Plowman. • Zacher, "Pilgrimage," from Curiosity and Pilgrimage (on electronic reserve and Blackboard); Alford, "The Design of the Poem," and Robertson, "Introduction" to his translation of Piers Plowman (handouts).
Writing:
response prompts.Mar 5
No Class
Spring Break
Spring Break
8th Week (Mar 12)
Margery Kempe
Reading:
• The Book of Margery Kempe
• Atkinson, "Female Sanctity in the Middle Ages" and Aers, "The Making of Margery Kempe" (both in Staley); Lochrie, "The Body as Text" (on Blackboard). Staley has also written a very helpful introduction to her TEAMS edition to read.
Writing: response prompts.
Reading:
• The Book of Margery Kempe
• Atkinson, "Female Sanctity in the Middle Ages" and Aers, "The Making of Margery Kempe" (both in Staley); Lochrie, "The Body as Text" (on Blackboard). Staley has also written a very helpful introduction to her TEAMS edition to read.
Writing:
response prompts.9th Week (Mar 19)
Pearl
Reading:
• Pearl
• Read the on-line “Introduction” to Stanbury’s TEAMS edition of the poem; Fowler, selections from The Bible in Middle English Literature, 200-25 (on electronic reserve and Blackboard); Stanbury, "Pearl and the New Jerusalem" (handout)
Writing: Response prompts. 1st Paper due in class (if you've chosen to write two papers)
Reading:
• Pearl
• Read the on-line “Introduction” to Stanbury’s TEAMS edition of the poem; Fowler, selections from The Bible in Middle English Literature, 200-25 (on electronic reserve and Blackboard); Stanbury, "Pearl and the New Jerusalem" (handout)
Writing:
Response prompts. 1st Paper due in class (if you've chosen to write two papers)10th Week (Mar 26)
Malory, Le Morte D'Arthur
Reading:
• selections as in Penguin: Books I-IV, "Tale of King Arthur"; Book VI, "A Noble Tale of Sir Launcelot du Lake"; Books XIII-XVII, "The Tale of the Sankgreal"; and Books XVIII-XIX, "The Tale of Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere." Here is a chapter outline of the book.
• Armstrong (selection); and selections about the War of the Roses and chivalry (all handed out in class)
Writing: response prompts.
Reading:
• selections as in Penguin: Books I-IV, "Tale of King Arthur"; Book VI, "A Noble Tale of Sir Launcelot du Lake"; Books XIII-XVII, "The Tale of the Sankgreal"; and Books XVIII-XIX, "The Tale of Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere." Here is
a chapter outline of the book. • Armstrong (selection); and selections about the War of the Roses and chivalry (all handed out in class)
Writing:
response prompts.11th Week (Apr 2)
New World Exploration
Reading: a smorgasbord week
• This week we consider two issues: narratives of the New World, and New Historicism. Texts include selections by and about Columbus, Vespucci, and Ralegh; and we will read Donne's "Elegy 19. On his Mistress going to Bed."
• White, "New Historicism: A Comment"; Montrose, "The Work of Gender in the Discourse of Discovery"; West, "Christopher Columbus, Lost Pilgrimage Sites, and the Last Crusade" (all on on Blackboard or handouts); and Greenblatt, Renaissance Self-Fashioning, Introduction
Writing: response prompts.
Reading: a smorgasbord week
• This week we consider two issues: narratives of the New World, and New Historicism. Texts include selections by and about Columbus, Vespucci, and Ralegh; and we will read Donne's "Elegy 19. On his Mistress going to Bed."
• White, "New Historicism: A Comment"; Montrose, "The Work of Gender in the Discourse of Discovery"; West, "Christopher Columbus, Lost Pilgrimage Sites, and the Last Crusade" (all on on Blackboard or handouts); and Greenblatt, Renaissance Self-Fashioning, Introduction
Writing:
response prompts.12th Week (Apr 9)
More, Utopia
Reading:
• More, Utopia
• Graus, "Social Utopias" (handout); Greenblatt, Renaissance Self-Fashioning, Ch. 1
Writing: response prompts.
Reading:
• More, Utopia
• Graus, "Social Utopias" (handout); Greenblatt, Renaissance Self-Fashioning, Ch. 1
Writing:
response prompts.13th Week (Apr 16)
Spenser, The Faerie Queene
Reading:
• The Faerie Queene, Book 1, with the helpful summary by Ruskin (which will be handed out)
• (tba)
Writing: response prompts.
Reading:
• The Faerie Queene, Book 1, with the helpful summary by Ruskin (which will be handed out)
• (tba)
Writing:
response prompts.14th Week (Apr 23)
Shakespeare, The Tempest
Reading:
• The Tempest, and the selections from Montaigne, Strachey, Jourdain, Hakluyt, and de Las Casas which are collected in Graff and Phelan
• (tba, from among those included in Graff and Phelan)
Writing: response prompts.
Reading:
• The Tempest, and the selections from Montaigne, Strachey, Jourdain, Hakluyt, and de Las Casas which are collected in Graff and Phelan
• (tba, from among those included in Graff and Phelan)
Writing:
response prompts.Finals Week (Apr 30 )
Modern Versions
Reading:
•
•
Writing: 2nd/Final Paper is due on Tuesday, Apr. 28th by noon in my office.
Reading:
•
•
Writing: 2nd/Final Paper is due on Tuesday, Apr. 28th by noon in my office.