Chaucer (323-1-20)
Instructors
Susan E Phillips
Meeting Info
Harris Hall L06: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
As we follow along the road to Canterbury, we not only hear a compendium of stories-both pious and irreverent-but we also meet a collection of characters whose diversity spans the spectrum of medieval society: a noble knight and a manly monk, a drunken miller and a virtuous priest, a dainty nun and a domineering wife, who compete with one other, trading insults as well as tales. Over the course of the quarter, we will explore the ways in which Chaucer experiments with late medieval literary genres, from chivalric romances to bawdy fabliaux, frustrating and playing upon the expectations of his audience. Against and alongside this literary context, we will consider the dramatic context of the pilgrimage itself, asking questions about how the character of an individual pilgrim, or the interaction between pilgrims, further shapes our perceptions and expectations of the tales: How is a romance different, for example, when it is told by a knight, by a social climber, or by a renegade wife? We will be reading Chaucer's poem in the original Middle English. At the end of the quarter, we will give an in-class performance of one of the tales.
Teaching Method
Discussion and some lectures.
Evaluation Method
Class attendance and participation required; an oral presentation; several short papers; quizzes and a midterm exam.
Class Materials (Required)
The Canterbury Tales, ed. Jill Mann ISBN 978-0140422344 (approximate cost: $23) (The Canterbury Tales, ed. Larry D. Benson or The Riverside Chaucer, ed. Larry D. Benson are also acceptable editions)
Textbooks available at: Beck's Bookstore.
Class Attributes
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area