EN 374 Medieval Arthurian Literature

Spring 2004
MWF 2
Gasson 301

Prof. Robert Stanton
Carney 443
(617)552-2235
stantoro@bc.edu
Office Hours: TBA
  1. Course Description
    Myth, legend, and history conspired to make the most popular and enduring set of characters in all of medieval literature. The stories of Arthur and Guinevere, the sorcerer Merlin, the lustful Uther Pendragon, Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot, Sir Perceval, and the Knights of the Round Table exerted a fascination that has outlived most other popular li
    terature from the Middle Ages. We will dig at the Celtic and British roots of the Arthurian tales (Culhwch and Olwen , Geoffrey of Monmouth), revel in the golden age of French romance (Chrétien de Troyes, Marie de France, courtly love lyrics), take a detour to medieval Iceland (The Sage of the Mantle) and examine the transformative influence the tradition had on the mainstream of English literature (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Alliterative Morte d'Arthur, Malory's Morte d'Arthur). All texts will be read in Modern English translation except the Middle English ones, but no previous Middle English knowledge is required.

  2. Grading/Attendance
    There will be two papers, of which the first will be a fairly short (3-4 page) discussion of historical background or literary genre, and the second will be a longer research paper (8-10 pages). The panel discussions, consisting of four students each, will discuss a particular theme or character, and will be organized around a set of questions and some secondary reading. There will also be a midterm and a final exam.

    3. Regular attendance is required in this course. You may miss three classes without penalty; further unexplained absences will affect your grade. Note that 20% is awarded for class participation. N.B. If you have missed no more than three classes but have not contributed to the discussions at all, you can expect about 5% of this 20%.

    Academic Integrity:
    Plagiarism is the act of representing the work of others as your own. Plagiarism has severe consequences, which can include failing the course or being suspended from the university. Do not cite the words or ideas of others in your papers without citing them in proper MLA format; do not hand in a paper you have written for another course; do not hand in a paper written by someone else. You are expected to adhere to the university’s academic integrity policy, which is available at http://www.bc.edu/offices/stserv/academic/resources/policy/#integrity

    Grading Scheme:
    Paper 1 10%
    Paper 2 20%
    Midterm 15%
    Final Exam 20%
    Panel Discussion 15%
    Class Participation 20%
  3. Texts (all available at BC bookstore)
     Required:

    4. James J. Wilhelm, ed. The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation. New, expanded ed. New York and London: Garland, 1994.
    Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval: Or, the Story of the Grail. Trans. Ruth Harwood Cline. Athens: Univ. of Georgia Press, 1985.
    Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur: The Winchester Manuscript. Ed. Helen Cooper. Oxford and New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1998.

    Recommended:
    Norris J. Lacy, Geoffrey Ashe, and Debra N. Mancoff, eds. The Arthurian Handbook. 2nd ed. New York: Garland, 1997.
    Norris J. Lacy, ed. The Lancelot-Grail Reader. New York: Garland, 2000.

  4. Tentative Schedule
    5.

January
19 Martin Luther King Day – no class
21 Introductory; Administrative
23 Arthurian Legend: An Overview; see it in PowerPoint or HTML

26 Culhwch and Olwen
28 Geoffrey of Monmouth
30 Wace, Roman de Brut; Layamon, Brut

February
2 Marie de France, Lanval
4 Chrétien de Troyes, The Knight of the Cart
6 Chrétien de Troyes, The Knight of the Cart

9 Panel Discussion 1: Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere
11 Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval
13 Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval

16 Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval; Paper 1 Due
18 Panel Discussion 2: Perceval and the Grail
20 The Saga of the Mantle

23 Panel Discussion 3: Courtly Love
25 Midterm Exam
27 Béroul, The Romance of Tristan; Marie de France, The Lay of Chievrefueil (The Honeysuckle)

March
1 - 5 Spring Break

8 Thomas of Britain, Tristan; Cantare on the Death of Tristan
10 Panel Discussion 4: Tristan and Isolde; Paper 1 due
12 Prose Merlin

15 Suite du Merlin
17 Panel Discussion 5: Merlin
19 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

22 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
24 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
26 The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell

29 Panel Discussion 6: Sir Gawain
31 Alliterative Morte d'Arthur

April
2 Alliterative Morte d'Arthur

5 Panel Discussion 7: Chivalry
7 Malory, Morte d'Arthur, 528-530, 3-57
9 Good Friday – no class

12 Easter Monday – no class
14 Malory, 58-120
16 Panel Discussion 8: Malory (Women)

19 Patriot’s Day – no classes
21 Malory, 310-356
23 Malory, 357-402

26 Panel Discussion 9: Malory (Holy Grail)
28 Malory, 403-467
30 Malory, 468-527; Paper 2 due

May
3 Panel Discussion 10: Malory (Death of Arthur)
5 Exam Review/Catchup

FINAL EXAM: Wednesday May 12, 9:00 a.m.