[Englmajors] English 210A: Medieval Literature offered Summer 2010 (fwd)

[Kimberly Swayze]

Back by popular demand, Medieval lit instructor Jen Gonyer-Donohue will be 
teaching a Summer Quarter pre-1900 literature course -- read on for 
details!

Summer registration begins Monday!

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ENGL 210 (VLPA / "W") Medieval Literature

Are you looking for a fun class to take this summer that will satisfy 5 credits 
of both the VLPA and the W-Writing requirement?  Are you curious about the 
origins of some common motifs in modern literature, film, or pop culture?  Do 
you want to know just how wrong the _Beowulf_ movie was or why _Monty Python 
and the Holy Grail_ is so funny to medievalists?  Sign up for English 210 A 
(A-term) to find out!  Please feel free to contact the instructor should you 
have any questions about the class or need help deciding if it's right for you: 
Jen Gonyer-Donohue (jengd at uw.edu).


English 210A (SLN# 11076, MTWTh 1050-100)

This course will survey medieval England's literary tradition and a few of its 
continental influences/sources from the 8th through the 14th centuries, all 
while keeping the following sets of questions in mind: What makes early English 
literature specifically "English"? Is it satisfactory to categorize literature 
by its location of origin alone? What are we to do with the fact that the 
literary tradition was constantly shifting, being heavily influenced, and 
sometimes supplanted altogether, by the literary traditions of non-English 
visitors/conquerors/missionaries? We will be reading texts that were originally 
composed in Latin, Old English, Old French, Italian, and Middle English (all 
but the Middle English in translation, of course). As we examine the cultural 
and political context of this transnational hodge-podge we call medieval 
English, we will also discuss how the texts were physically transmitted: the 
production and dissemination of manuscripts, literacy and readers, and the 
movement from an oral/aural culture to a literary one. This is a fascinating 
period in literary history with some very fun texts! Added bonus: the room 
assigned to us (as of April 12) has air conditioning. Huzzah!

English majors: this course satisfies the pre-1900 requirement.

https://sdb.admin.washington.edu/timeschd/uwnetid/sln.asp?QTRYR=SUM+2010&SLN=11076