English 304 - Medieval Monsters, Magic, And Marvels

Institution:

Macalester College

Subject:

Description:

Monsters, dragons, demons, magicians, shape-shifters, nature spirits, fairies, giants, cannibals, grotesques, and many other fantastic creatures inhabit the stories, poems, and visual arts of the Middle Ages. By surveying works from England, Wales, and Scandinavia we will consider subjects like the nature of the uncanny and the fantastic; the ways that monstrosity works out anxieties about unknown others (Easterners, Africans, women, Saracens, Jews); the effects of enchantment, disenchantment, shape-shifting; why monsters fit so well into genres of heroes and of saints; the ways that monster-vs.-hero stories handle the interior strains of change, transformation, growing to adult identity; differences between today's monsters and medieval ones. Texts will include Beowulf, The Mabinogion, Sir Orfeo, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Saga of the Volsungs, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, Malory's Morte Darthur. Alternate years. (4 credits)

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.macalester.edu

Phone Number:

(651) 696-6000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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