English 336A - English Medieval Literature:Best Sellers of the Middle Ages Davidson

Institution:

Whitman College

Subject:

Description:

For an author's work to have survived until the present, at least one of two factors was needed: luck, or popularity, or both. In the period before printing presses, the larger the number of manuscripts in which a work was copied, the greater its chance of survival. "Best sellers" included the medieval equivalents of the action/adventure story, the trashy novel, satire and humor, self-help texts, long-running plays, and serious scientific and philosophical discussions. This course will examine popular works of the time, as well as the concept of popularity in literature - what causes it, and how increased literacy and the printing press brought about changes in its definition. Texts will incl ude Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, Piers Plowman, The Corpus Christi Cyc le, and Sir Thomas Malor y's Morte Darth

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.whitman.edu

Phone Number:

(509) 527-5111

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Semester

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