E Lit 312W - Topics in English & American Literature: Literature of Consolation

Institution:

Washington University in St Louis

Subject:

Description:

This course explores the theme of consolation in medieval poetry. We read narratives that represent the consolation of a variety of melancholy figures-philosophers in exile, lovers in mourning, citizens in plague-ridden cities, and women disturbed by misogynous writing. We examine the connection between representations of consolation and the act of reading, and think about literature itself (along with other art forms) as a contested site of entertainment, moral guidance, self-fashioning, and redemption. Authors may include Boccaccio, Boethius, Chaucer, Christine de Pizan, Abelard and Heloise, and the Pearl-poet. As a writing-intensive class, we spend time writing and talking about writing in the classroom. We read our literary texts as "arguments" about literature in addition to other topics, and we read secondary articles as examples of scholarly writing that we may or may not want to adopt as models.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wustl.edu

Phone Number:

(314) 935-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

The Course Profile information is provided and updated by third parties including the respective institutions. While the institutions are able to update their information at any time, the information is not independently validated, and no party associated with this website can accept responsibility for its accuracy.