The Medieval Period

Welcome to Our Course Website!

In this course, we will travel chronologically through the variety of literature produced in the centuries now known as the medieval period, from Anglo-Saxon sagas to the first printed account of the legendary King Arthur.

We will grow familiar with the different literary genres of the period, including prose, drama, epic poetry, lyric verse, hagiography, and romance.

Our aim is not only to learn about these literary forms and their history, but to discuss how these works reflected and constructed ideas that remain at issue today, such as conceptions of gender and sexuality, self and community, the secular and the sacred, the nature of memory, and the relationship between the present and the past.

We will also explore the role ‘medieval’ culture plays in our own time, through critical examination of selections from modern translations, novels, and films which respond to the literature of this unique period.

Syllabus

Student Profiles

Class Portfolio

Thanks are due to Eleanor Kutz and Christian Pulver for the technical design and maintenance of this site.

Thanks are due to the medieval faculty of King's College London (Clare Lees, Marion Turner, Robert Mills) and to professors Rebecca Krug and Larry Benson for organization and teaching methods in thie design of this course.

12/7 Our final exam location has been announced in Wiser--it will be held on the first floor of Wheatley in room 019 (11:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m. on Monday December 18). Any changes will be posted first in Wiser--so do check there.

11/21 Remember, no class on Thursday! Enjoy the holiday!

I will be reading postings and comments (and giving you credit for these) on Wednesday.

If you want to see the second essay assignment now, check our Media Room page.

11/7 Our first paper deadline has been postponed--your paper is now due at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday Nov 14 instead of Thursday Nov 9.

11/6 Our final exam schedule has been announced! Our exam will be on Monday December 18 from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

11/2 Check our Resources page if you would like to see the Everypig drama we weren't able to watch in class today.

10/4 Upcoming Local Events:

Baba Brinkman will be performing his 'Rap Canterbury Tales' in two locations in the coming week:

5pm Oct 10
Thompson Room
Barker Center
Harvard College

8:30pm October 12
Jewett Auditorium
Wellesley College

Both performances are open to the public: for more information, contact the Office of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard or the English Department at Wellesley College, respectively.

9/18 Note: Our reading assignments for Weeks 4 and 5 have changed slightly. Comparative translation reading will no longer be assigned. Look at our on-line syllabus for the revised reading schedule.