ENGLISH 359

Middle English: Chaucer and Romance


Please note: this is archived course information from 2018 for ENGLISH 359.

Description

An introduction to medieval narrative centred on the tales of Geoffrey Chaucer, the greatest English poet of the fourteenth century and one of the finest narrative poets in the language. Along with the Chaucer tales, we study a number of contemporary short romances, mostly anonymous, that display the narrative possibilities of the genre, the typical interest in adventure and passion, as well as the textual practices employed by poets in a manuscript or performance culture. The selection of tales by Chaucer includes examples of romances that are both like and different from the anonymous romances, but, exceptionally, also represent a sustained effort to explore the problematic relationship of love and marriage.

Availability 2018

Not taught in 2018

Lecturer(s)

Coordinator(s)  Roger Nicholson

Assessment

Coursework + exam

Points

ENGLISH 359: 15 points

Prerequisites

30 points at Stage II in English

Restrictions

ENGLISH 200