FYSM 163 - From Godliness to the Gothic:Exploring the Medieval Mind

Institution:

Trinity College

Subject:

Description:

In the thousand years that span the time referred to as "Medieval," seeming contradictions in human behavior could live side by side. The bloody head ruthlessly hacked from King Holofernes is set beside the saintliness of his killer; Charlemagne's knights skewer both rider and horse in the name of righteousness. In literature, however, the extremes were often reconciled. This Seminar will begin reading some of the "top hits" of medieval literature (in English) beginning with Anglo-Saxon poems such as "Judith" (who beheaded Holofernes), Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf; the bloody, Old French "battle" Song of Roland; the knightly test of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; and selections from Chaucer's, The Canterbury Tales. We will also look closely at both the order and disorder embedded in the ideal of "the Gothic," and spend some time learning about Trinity's renowned Collegiate Gothic Revival Chapel. Continuing into the 18th and 19th centuries, we will read "neo-Gothic" texts such as The Castle of Otranto and Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. We will finish by looking at one or two "modern" re-interpretations of the medieval world, especially in light of the legends of King Arthur. Students will be asked to write literary analyses, critiques of ideas discussed and texts read in class, and their own historical narratives. The class will include a Saturday field trip to the Worcester (M 1.00 units, Seminar

Credits:

1.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.Trincoll.edu

Phone Number:

(860) 297-2000

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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