UNIT 5: A Survey of Medieval Literature (449-1485)
UNIT OVERVIEW
The unit will examine major and minor texts produced between the fifth and fifteenth centuries CE, including the Old English epic Beowulf, the Arthurian romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, and Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. On top of offering rich and diverse examples for the study of poetics, these texts will offer insights into the social, religious, philosophical, and psychological instability of the Middle Ages. Students will conduct a major group research project during this unit, in which they will produce substantial reports on topics pertinent to our studies in medieval literature, such as the Viking Age; the illuminated manuscript tradition; feudalism and the institution of chivalry; gender and sexuality in the Middle Ages; the cult of saints and relics; medieval cosmology; and the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
This unit is comprised of four modules rooted in the study of a particular medieval text. Each text will serve as a portal for exploring topics in genre and poetics, as well as timeless and transcultural themes such as exile, redemption, and heroism.
The unit will examine major and minor texts produced between the fifth and fifteenth centuries CE, including the Old English epic Beowulf, the Arthurian romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, and Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. On top of offering rich and diverse examples for the study of poetics, these texts will offer insights into the social, religious, philosophical, and psychological instability of the Middle Ages. Students will conduct a major group research project during this unit, in which they will produce substantial reports on topics pertinent to our studies in medieval literature, such as the Viking Age; the illuminated manuscript tradition; feudalism and the institution of chivalry; gender and sexuality in the Middle Ages; the cult of saints and relics; medieval cosmology; and the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
This unit is comprised of four modules rooted in the study of a particular medieval text. Each text will serve as a portal for exploring topics in genre and poetics, as well as timeless and transcultural themes such as exile, redemption, and heroism.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
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Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
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LITERARY TEXTS
Poetry
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Geoffrey Chaucer (1321-1400)
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INFORMATIONAL TEXTS
Articles and Critical Studies
Online Resources
Articles and Critical Studies
- The Ingredients of Medieval Philosophy (article)
- Heng, Gerladine. The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages, University Cambridge Press (2018)
- Morrison, Elizabeth (ed). Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World, J. Paul Getty Museum (2019)
- Watt, Diane. Medieval Women's Writing, Polity (2007)
Online Resources
IMAGE GALLERY
Click on images to enlarge and view captions.
Click on images to enlarge and view captions.
Topics in Medieval Literature
I. Visions, Warnings, and the End Times: The Prophetic Tradition in Biblical Literature
- Prophetic Literature (Bible Gateway)
- Apocalyptic Literature in Judaism and Early Christianity (PBS)
II. Raiding, Wandering, and Trading in the Viking Age: The Norseman's Influence on Medieval Europe
- The Vikings, 800-1066 (BBC)
- The Vikings (PBS)
- Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)
- Digital Atlas of Roman and Medieval Civilization
- Regia Anglorum: Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Norman, and British Living History Group
- "The Viking Age Began in Denmark" (ScienceNordic)
III. The Power, Portability, and Permanence of the Written Word: The Book and Its Influence on the Middle Ages
- Medieval Manuscripts (Khan Academy)
- Introduction to Medieval Writing
- The Structure of the Medieval Manuscript (Getty)
- Illuminations: Treasures of the Middle Ages (BBC)
- Digital Medieval Manuscripts (Harvard's Houghton Library)
- The Cotton Nero A.x. Project
- The Gutenberg Bible (Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin)
IV. Sin and Redemption in Camelot: The Origina and Legacy of the Myths and Legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and the Quest for the Holy Grail
V. Law and Order in Medieval Society: Feudalism and the Code of Chivalry in European Christendom
- Internet Medieval Sourcebook: Medieval Law (Fordham University)
- Internet Medieval Sourcebook: States and Society
- Three Estates of Medieval Society
- Medieval Society (Medieval-Spell)
- Medieval English Society (J. P. Sommerville)
VI. Women and the Feminine in the Middle Ages: Virgins, Whores, and Other (Mis)Representations of Women in Medieval Culture
- Internet History Sourcebook: Sex & Gender (Fordham University)
- Women in Medieval Society (The British Library)
- Women in the Middle Ages (World History Online)
- Women and Work in the Middle Ages
VII. The Cult of Saints and Relics in the Middle Ages: Miracles, Pilgrimages, and Hagiography
- Internet Medieval Sourcebook: Saints' Lives (Fordham University)
- "Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe" -- (The Telegraph)
- Pilgrimage Routes and the Cult of the Relic (Khan Academy)
- Relics and Reliquaries in Medieval Christianity (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
- The Cult of Saints (Getty Center Exhibitions)
VIII. Medieval Science: Cosmology, Cartography, Astrology, and Medicine in the Middle Ages