ENGH 202: Texts and Contexts
ENGH 202-033: Arthurian Retellings
(Fall 2021)
03:00 PM to 04:15 PM MW
Peterson Hall 2413
Section Information for Fall 2021
Adventure, love, magic…a giant who steals kings’ beards to make them into a coat?
This is just some of what we’ll encounter as we study the so-called “Matter of Britain”—tales dealing with King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. We will pay special attention to two distinctive trends in medieval Arthurian literature: the Arthur of the chronicle tradition and the Arthur of the romance tradition. We will trace the evolution of the Arthurian myth, studying differences in genre, audience, and ideology, as well as the myth’s relationship to cultural and religious history.
Works may include Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, Chrétien de Troyes’ Knight of the Cart, the Quest for the Holy Grail, the alliterative Morte Arthure, and Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur, as well as more modern versions. Medieval works will be read in translation when necessary, so no special language abilities are required. Required work will likely include regular response papers and/or quizzes, a presentation/paper, and a final exam.
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Course Information from the University Catalog
Credits: 3
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
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