CLST 610 - Chaucer's Classicisms

Institution:

University of Pennsylvania

Subject:

Description:

Copeland. This course takes Chaucer's uses of antiquity as a point of entry into questions about the ancient lineages of medieval literary and intellectual culture. The coverage of Chaucer's writings in relation to classical and late classical authors will be quite substantial. We will survey the medieval textual histories of Virgil, Ovid, Horace, Statius,and Boethius as they materialize in specific Chaucerian sites, including: "Troilus and Criseyde", "Knight's Tale". "Legend of Good Women", "House of Fame" (and perhaps one other dream poem), "Boece",and Nun's Priets's Tale".These texts are sites for opening broader inquiries about the uses of antiquity in the Middle Ages: medieval transformations of ancient theories of narrative, of allegory and allegoresis, and of hermeneutics, translation, and invention; medieval receptions of ancient pedagogical discourses (including how classical authors were used in medieval schooling) and reconfigurations of ancient systems of knowledge; and medieval assimilations of ancient intellectual currents (Platonisms,scientific epistemologies,theories of language and signification). To these ends we will also look at various late classical expositors who mediated many of these problems to the Middle Ages, including Fulgentius, Martianus Capella, Marcrobius, Priscian, and St. Augustine. This seminar will be designed to address the interests of two constituencies: classicists who want to know more about the medeival fortunes of ancient traditions; and medievalists and early modernists,for whose ongoing research the long diachronic structure of this course can offer a good foundation. The course is designed to accomodate the particular expertise that classicists can bring to study of post-classical literary history. For non-classicists considering the course, knowledge of Latin isn't a requirement, but it is certainly helpful. Readings of Chaucer will be in Middle English. Course texts will include The Riverside Chaucer, Loeb editions of Horace and Boethius, a photocopied packet of promary and seconadry readings, and possibly some paperback English translations of late classical sources (e. g. Macrobius). Requirements will consist of one research paper and (depending on size of the class) one or two brief discussion presentations.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.upenn.edu

Phone Number:

(215) 898-5000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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