ENG 3931 Spring 2019 Fumo

This course explores the imaginative dimensions of the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in the Middle Ages. We will consider the patterns of development and possible historical origins of the Arthurian myth; the cultural events and conditions reflected in Arthurian fictions; and the ideological power the myth of Arthur has held (and continues to hold) as a way of defining the present by glorifying the past. Our readings—all composed before 1500—will include courtly romances, chronicles and pseudo-histories, Celtic legends, Breton lais, chastity-testing adventures, and epic poems. We will immerse ourselves in the master works of medieval British Arthurian tradition (Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, substantial parts of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur) and will also discover the legend’s international dimensions (French, German, Scandinavian, Italian), paying especially close attention to the contributions of Chrétien de Troyes and the Anglo-French poet Marie de France. All materials will be read in modern English translation. Assignments tentatively include quizzes, midterm and final exam, essay(s), and group research presentations on the modern afterlives of Arthurian myth.