ENGL 40133 - Soliloquy and Dialogue in Medieval Narrative

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

English

Description:

Augustine invented the term "soliloquy" and used it as a title for one of his early dialogues, in which a fictional Augustine debates with an allegorical Reason about the nature of the soul. Thus, at its very inception, the term combines the philosophical and the literary, describing a constructed narrative that unfolds through a volley of competing ideas. This course will investigate the pre-Shakespearian history of the soliloquy and the inward narrative. It will begin with Augustine's Confessions, and Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, and then consider how the same dialectical pattern informs works in the vernacular tradition, such as the Pearl poem, Chaucer's Book of the Duchess, The Mirror of Simple Souls, and Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love. We will consider the literary construction of the "I", its relation to the narrator, and the competing forces within the "I", that both fragment and constitute its identity. We will examine the role of memory, reason and imagination for each writer, and consider how the interplay of these forces informs the literary, philosophical and meditative dimensions of their work.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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