English 3401a: Medieval Literature (Spring 2015)
English 3401 introduces students to the study of Middle English literature (i.e. literature from roughly the twelfth through the end of the fifteenth centuries). The course is a companion to English 3601 Chaucer, and so this course concentrates on literature by authors other than Chaucer.
Contents
Instructors
Times and location
- Time: TuTh, 09:25-10:40
- Location: D633
Office and Office Hours
My office is B810B (8th floor, University Hall).
My official office hours are:
- Monday: 2pm-3pm;
- Tuesday: 3:05pm-4:15pm.
About this course
In many ways the Middle English period marks the beginning of English literature as we know it. There was literature written in English before this period: the literature of Anglo-Saxon England, which you can begin studying in English 3450 Old English. But the Norman invasion of 1066 which brought the Anglo-Saxon period to a close also brought about a significant cultural break: while there is some cultural continuity, literature of the post Norman period was often far more continental in outlook and influence—especially in the cultural centre.
The result is that Middle English literature looks much more like Modern English literature than does the English literature of the pre-conquest period. This is the time in which rhyme becomes a significant feature of our poetry, and in which foot-based metrical systems (such as the famous “Iambic Pentameter” used by Shakespeare) are introduced. We also start seeing the introduction of or increased interest in forms of literature that will remain important into our own day: drama, autobiography, lyric poetry, polemic, and very complex narratives. While some of these forms are found in English before the Conquest, all receive far more attention in the post Conquest period.
Middle English literature is written in a form of the English language that most students find more difficult to read than Modern English—though in contrast to Old English, you probably won’t need to approach it as a foreign language. Much is also available in translation. In this course, we will be mixing readings in translation with readings in Middle English, and an important goal of the course will be to improve your ability to read Middle English.
Because these readings can be difficult, however, you should not take this course if you are not able to make a commitment to devote the necessary time it will take to prepare for class. While we will discuss the literature in much the same way we do more modern works, it will take you much longer to read material written in Middle English. If you are prepared to work hard and devote an appropriate amount of time and energy to your preparation, you will likely enjoy this class very much. If you are not, you should try to find something easier to take.
Learning goals
By the end of the course, you should be able to do the following:
- Speak and write about English medieval literature;
- Read some types of Middle English in the original language;
- Research and write about a topic involving medieval literature.
In addition, you will have practice preparing academic posters, writing, and speaking about research.
Texts
Required
- Everyman, and medieval miracle plays. 1993. ed. A. C Cawley. New ed ed. Everyman’s Library. London, Rutland, Vermont: J.M. Dent. C. Tuttle.
- Middle English lyrics authoritative texts, critical and historical backgrounds, perspectives on six poems. 1974. ed. Maxwell Luria and Richard Lester Hoffman. 1st ed. ed. A Norton Critical Edition. New York: Norton.
- The poems of the Pearl manuscript Pearl, Cleanness, Patience, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. 1978. ed. Malcolm Andrew and Ronald Waldron. York Medieval Texts ; 2d Ser. London: Arnold.
- Burrow, J. A. 1982. Medieval writers and their work Middle English literature and its background 1100-1500. Oxford Oxfordshire, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Julian of Norwich. 1998. Revelations of divine love (short text and long text). ed. Elizabeth Spearing and A. C Spearing. Penguin Classics. London, New York: Penguin Books.
- The Paston Family. 1983. Paston letters: The Paston letters. ed. Norman Davis. The World’s Classics: Oxford Paperbacks. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Kleinman, Scott. [ND]. Introduction to Middle English [Northridge, CA: Scott Kleinman].
- Chaucer, Book of the Duchess
Assessment
- Participation and Attendance 5% (Pass/Fail) [1]
- Attendance
- Prospectus
- Poster presentation
- Quizzes
- Formative Exercises 40% (Appropriate/Inappropriate/Fail) [2]
- Weekly Blog
- First essay (due January 25 on turnitin.com)
- Seminar Leadership (due throughout the year)
- Poster (due last class)
- Summative 45% (A+ through F)
- Research Essay 25%
- Final Exam 20%
- Badges 10% [3]
- Distinction 1.75%
- Great Distinction 2.5%
- Resubmission -2.5%
Notes:
- All exercises under this category are of equal weight. I reserve the right to add or subtract participation exercises during the year.
- All exercises under this category are of equal weight. Exceptional work may be eligible for badges. Students may submit one piece of “Inappropriate” work for regrading, provided they accompany this with a letter explaining what changes have been made to the resubmission. Students who resubmit work for grading will receive a 2.5% penalty on their final grade.
- Students may earn up to five badges. All badges are “Pass/Fail” and are applied to the final grade. Badges may not be combined on any one exercise (i.e. you cannot have a “distinction” and “great distinction” badge on the same piece of work, or a “distinction” and “resubmission.” At the end of the semester, the total value of all badges will be added together.
Policies
The following policies will be followed in all my classes unless otherwise announced. You are expected to be familiar with the policies reproduced here and in the more general section on my website. These additional web pages are to be considered part of this syllabus for the purposes of this course.
Grade scale
The University of Lethbridge keeps track of student performance using a letter and grade point system (See section 4 of the University Calendar). Instructors assign students a letter grade at the end of each course (the University does not issue or record mid-term grades). These letter grades are converted to a numerical value (a Grade Point) for assessing overall academic performance (a Grade Point Average or GPA). The University does not record percentage-type grades and does not have a fixed scale for conversion from percentage scores to letter grades and grade points. Each instructor is responsible for determining their own methodology for determining students’ final letter grade.
In my classes, I use the following letter-grade to percentage correspondences:
| Excellent | Good | Satisfactory | Poor | Minimal pass | Failing | |||||||
| Letter | A+ | A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ | C | C- | D+ | D | F |
| Percent range | 100-94 | 93-90 | 89-86 | 85-82 | 81-78 | 77-74 | 73-70 | 69-66 | 65-62 | 61-58 | 57-50 | 49-0 |
| Conventional value | 100 | 92 | 88 | 84 | 80 | 76 | 72 | 68 | 64 | 60 | 56 | 49-0 |
| Grade point | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0 | |
Submitting Work
Tests, Exams, and Quizzes
Tests and Exams will be written in the University’s Testing Centre on Moodle.
Essays and Reports
Essays and reports will normally be collected using Turnitin. Information on our account (URL, ID number, and Password) will be made available in our class space on Moodle.
Plagiarism
This course uses plagiarism detection software. Any plagiarism will be treated very seriously: you can expect to receive a grade of 0 on the assignment as well as other penalties depending on the seriousness of the offence. In most cases, the penalty for plagiarism is an F on the course.
Class schedule
| Week | Date | Topic | Reading | |
| 1 | Tue Jan 6 | Welcome | Syllabus and Assessment | |
| Thur Jan 8 | ||||
| 2 | Tue Jan 13 | Instructor Absence | ||
| Thur Jan 15 | Instructor Absence | |||
| 3 | Tue Jan 20 | Middle English | Kleinman | |
| Thur Jan 22 | Reading Middle English Lyrics | Lyrics: 197, 181, 8, 9 (Luria and Hoffman, ed.) | ||
| 4 | Tue Jan 27 | Lyrics: 116, 115, 112, 117 (Luria and Hoffman, ed.) | ||
| Thur Jan 29 | Lyrics: 32, 81, 83, 84, 85, 78 (Luria and Hoffman, ed.) | |||
| 5 | Tue Feb 3 | Mon. 28/1 | Chaucer | Book of the Duchess |
| Thur Feb 5 | ||||
| 6 | Tue Feb 10 | Mystery Plays | Cawley, Introduction; Second Shepherd’s play (Wakefield) | |
| Thur Feb 12 | The cycle | Cawley, the York Cycle Plays (Creation and Fall of Lucifer; Creation of Adam and Eve; Fall of Man; Crucifixion; Resurrection; Judgement) | ||
| Reading Week No Classes | ||||
| 7 | Tue Feb 24 | Wakefield and N-Town | Cawley, the Wakefield Plays (Second Shepherd and Herod the Great); the N-Town Plays (Cain and Abel; Woman taken in Adultery) | |
| Thur Feb 26 | Instructor Absence | |||
| 8 | Tue Mar 3 | Gawain Poet | ||
| Thur Mar 5 | Instructor Absence | |||
| 9 | Tue Mar 10 | |||
| Thur Mar 12 | ||||
| 10 | Tue Mar 17 | |||
| Thur Mar 19 | Julian of Norwich | |||
| 11 | Tue Mar 24 | |||
| Thur Mar 26 | ||||
| 12 | Tue Mar 31 | Paston Letters | ||
| Thur Apr 2 | ||||
| 13 | Tue Apr 7 | |||
| Thur Apr 9 | Conclusion and Posters | |||
