Medieval Poetry (323-1-20)

Topic

The Canterbury Tales

Instructors

Susan Phillips

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L28: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM

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. As we read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, we will explore the ways in which Chaucer experiments with late medieval literary genres, from chivalric romances to bawdy fabliaux, from pious exempla to moral fables, frustrating and playing upon the expectations of his audience. We will also examine the changes Chaucer makes to his sources, by comparing several of his tales to the stories told by Gower and Boccaccio. 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, shapes our perceptions and expectations of the tales: How is a romance different when it is told by a knight, by a social climber, or by a renegade wife? What is the relationship between the teller and her tale? And conversely, when does the tale transcend its teller? We will be reading Chaucer's poem in the original Middle English, becoming familiar with the vocabulary and the sound of the language by reading aloud. 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; discussion board posts; language quizzes; an oral presentation; and three short papers.

Class Materials (Required)

The Canterbury Tales, ed. Jill Mann ISBN 978-0140422344 (approximate cost: $25) (The Canterbury Tales, ed. Larry D. Benson or The Riverside Chaucer, ed. Larry D. Benson are also acceptable editions).

Textbooks available at: Norris Center Bookstore.

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for English and Creative Writing students.