Date
Primary
Reading/Assignments
Secondary Reading/Presentation Leader
January
8
Course introduction; materials and methods;
overview. The vexed question of genre in Middle English;
a brief look at
Middle English lyrics (e-mailed in advance). (Don’t panic about them
being in Middle English!) We can’t waste this much time by not having
class, but I will have to do more lecturing than I plan to do for the
rest of the term—sorry!
CCMEL
chapter 1: “Re-inventing the Vernacular” and chapter 7: “Lyric”
If you want to play with the
"Wessex Parallel Web Texts" website (http://www.soton.ac.uk/~wpwt/)
you can find parallel Middle English/Modern English texts of some of the
lyrics with notes and bibliography. For a background on religious/Marian
lyrics, the best place to start is with the TEAMS edition:
http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/intro.htm.
January 14
10
Questions Assignment due in www.turnitin.com
Attitudes, Values, and Aims
of Middle English Literature
January
15
Medieval English Prose for Women: “A Letter on Virginity.”
Pearl,
Introduction and text to line 600.
CCMEL
chapter 3: “Religious Writing”
Secondary reading: Deb Schwartz, “Pearl,”
http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl512/pearl.html, and
Britton
J. Harwood, "Pearl as
Diptych," from Text and
Matter: New Critical Perspectives on the Pearl-Poet (1991).
The
Cotton Nero A.x.
project at the University of Calgary has a lot of material on the
Pearl/SGGK manuscript.
January 22
Finish
Pearl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48PsGOAJimM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48PsGOAJimM.
CCMEL
chapter 2: “Textual Production & Textual Communities”
Secondary reading: The
intro to the TEAMS edition by Sarah Stanbury:
http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/pearlint.htm. Tony
Davenport's "Jewels and
Jewellers in Pearl," Review
of English Studies 59 (2008):
508-520, is a good rebuke to those who want to make the poem into a kind
of class-warfare document.
January 28
Short
paper 1 due by 5 PM in turnitin.com.
January
29
Discussion of CMEL ch. 5 led by Samantha. Vernacular Religion and Social Order:
Chaucer, The General
Prologue to the Canterbury Tales*
Langland,
selections from Piers
Plowman
CCMEL
chapter 9: “William Langland” and chapter 5: “Dialogue, Debate, and
Dream Vision.”
Secondary reading: J. A. Burrow, "Lady Meed and the Power of Money,"
Medium Aevum
74.1 (2005): 113-118. Available thru MLA International Bibliography
database, search term "piers plowman."
February
5
The
Second Shepherd’s Play
The York Play of the Crucifixion
Watch parts of Tony Harrison's The
Mysteries; script is posted in DropBox.
First take-home exam
distributed through DropBox.
CCMEL
chapter 6: “Drama”
Secondary reading: M. F. Vaughan, "Mak and the
Proportions of the Second Shepherd's Play," Papers in Language and
Literature 18/4 (Winter 1982): 355-367. Available thru MLA
International Bibliography (use subject heading "second shepherd's
play").
February
11
First
take-home exam due by 5 PM in turnitin.com.
Political and Social Mythmaking
February
12
Discussion led by Joanna. Arthurian backgrounds; from Andreas Cappellanus;
The Lais of Marie de France.
CCMEL
chapter 4: “Romance.”
February
19
Discussion led by Clayton. Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight
CCMEL
chapter 10: “The Gawain-Poet.”
February
26
Discussion led by Pam (article) and James (CCMEL). Malory. Vinaver, “Introduction,” “Merlin,” “The
Knight of the Cart,” and “Lancelot and Elaine.”
CCMEL chapter 17: “Sir Thomas Malory”.
Mar 4-5
Free medieval manuscripts seminar at USC. If you
want to participate, let me know before January 15!!!
March 4
Short
paper 2 due by 5 PM.
March 5
Discussion led by Aaron. Malory, “The Holy Grail,” “The Poisoned Apple,”
“The Fair Maid of Astolat,” “The Healing of Sir Urré” (this section is
in Dropbox), and “The Death of
King Arthur.”
March 12
Spring
Break. Class will not meet.
March 18
Second
Midterm Exam due by 5 PM in turnitin.com
Gender Roles and Rules
March 19
Discussion led by Phyllis on CCMEL. Ancrene
Wisse (in Millett.) Selections from Julian of Norwich and from
The Festis and the Passion of
oure Lord Ihesu Crist
CCMEL
chapter 13: “Julian of Norwich”
March 25
Graduate Book Review due in
turnitin.com by 5 pm.
March 26
Discussion led by Melissa on intro to Davis. Chaucer,
The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale
Selections from the
Paston Letters
CCMEL
chapter 12: “Geoffrey Chaucer.”
April 1
Research
Paper Proposal due in turnitin.com by 5 pm.
April 2
The Book
of Margery Kempe to p.
CCMEL
chapter 16: “Margery Kempe.”
April 8
Short
Paper 3 due in turnitin.com by 5 pm
April 9
Discussion led by Kiara. Finish
The Book of Margery
Kempe.
April 16
Discussion led by Kari. Selections from Christine de Pizan
in Dropbox.
Dr Laura Dufresne will visit for the first half of class; Kari's
presentation will be in the second half.
Research Paper conferences this week
April 22
Final research paper due in turnitin.com by 5 pm
with hard copy to Dr. K’s office (no extensions)
April 26
Final
exam, 6:30 PM. Open book, note, and handouts.