ENL 3210 Spring 2022 Waldman

ENL 3210 is a survey course designed to introduce undergraduate students to the literature of the European Middle Ages. Course content includes a diverse range of literary and cultural artifacts. The course material aims to encompass the full breadth of the medieval period, covering texts originally written in both Old and Middle English as well as French and Italian, although all texts will be read translated into modern English. We will begin with an exploration of Anglo-Saxon texts, including Beowulf, the Dream of the Rood, and Elene, which we will study in terms of their contributions to both epic poetry and penitential material. We will then move into a study of Arthurian literature such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and selections from Le Morte d’Arthur, which in turn will lead us into a discussion of literary tropes such as the Loathly Lady which have persisted throughout the medieval period and beyond. Our final major unit will begin with an examination of Geoffrey Chaucer’s writings. These will include selections from the Canterbury Tales and some of his dream poetry, including the Parliament of Fowls and the House of Fame. Apart from these overarching topics, we will examine writings from other areas of medieval Europe, including Marie de France’s Bisclavret and the Inferno from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. Our classes will be structured as instructor-led discussions with intermittent lecture on necessary context. The course will culminate with an interpretive research paper on a medieval text of the student’s choosing.

This course satisfies the Pre-1800 distribution requirement.