Spring, 1987 Syllabus || Spring, 1989 Syllabus || Spring, 1991 Syllabus || Spring, 1992 Syllabus || Site Navigation Options
The following are different versions of the syllabus for my Arthurian Legend course at VMI from 1987 to 1992, when both medieval and modern texts formed the core of the reading. For more current versions of the course in which I teach only medieval literature except for outside reading, see the Syllabi for Courses in Medieval Arthurian Legend.
Instructor: Baragona
Office: Scott Shipp Phone: 485 Hours: MWF 900-1000
Geoffrey of Monmouth The History of the Kings of Britain (Penguin Classics; Lewis Thorpe, trans.)
Chrétien de Troyes Arthurian Romances (Everyman; W.W. Comfort, trans.)
John Gardner, trans. The Alliterative Morte Arthure, (S.Il. Univ. Press)
Thomas Malory Tales of King Arthur (Schocken Books; Michael Senior, ed.)
Alfred Lord Tennyson Idylls of the King and a Selection of Poems (Signet; George Barker, ed.)
Mark Twain A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Bantam)
T.H. White The Once and Future King (Berkley)
T.H. White The Book of Merlyn (Berkley)
The purpose of this course is to study the most enduring tradition in English literature, perhaps in any literature, the story of King Arthur, first to give a sense of its development in the Middle Ages, and second to examine some of its more modern versions. The centerpiece of the course is Sir Thomas Malory, who represents the culmination of the medieval tradition and is the source of virtually all modern treatments. As we work toward and away from Malory, we will consider what appeal the Arthur legend had for different eras, for different societies, and for individual authors. In the process, I hope that you will find the story holds an appeal of some kind for you.
In order to make that more likely, this course will have no tests except for the final exam, which will be in the nature of a third paper and will cover the modern treatment of Arthur. The first paper can be on almost anything to do with the medieval Arthur, and the second paper must deal in some respect with Malory. The assignments will afford you as much flexibility as I can devise and still provide some guidance, and they will give you the chance to pursue any aspect of your interest in the Arthurian legend, historical, literary or otherwise. The final exam will give you a choice of questions, given out in advance, on Tennyson, Twain, White and the two films you will see. Please note that because we will discuss the films in class, they will be check formations. (See the Reading Schedule for dates.)
Though there are no tests in this class, there is a fairly heavy amount of reading, and keeping up with the reading will be the hardest part of the course. The material itself will provide most of the incentive to keep up, but to inspire you further, on a random but frequent basis, I will ask for a certified statement on your reading. If you have read the whole assignment for a given day, you will award yourself 100 points. If you've read 75-99% (by number of pages), you will give yourself 75 points. If you have read only 50-74%, you will get 50 points. Less than half gets you a zero. For example, on February 20, if you have read through p.72, you get 100 points; through p.67, 75 points; through p.62, 50 points; otherwise, none (I will give you the page numbers when I ask for the account). At the end of the term, I will tally all your points, divide by the number of statements and give you a single grade on a 100 point scale. There is one proviso. If class discussion flags, I will assume that you are "reading" merely by skimming the page with your eyes, without absorbing any of the content, and I will have to give you more traditional reading quizzes.
Please note that attendance and participation are not the same thing. You don't participate just by showing up. On the other hand, almost any noise you make in class does constitute participation (excluding laughter, applause, if any, burps, etc.). Questions, comments, wisecracks all count. Remember also that because I will have to get to know who you are in order to credit you with a noise and because the course as a whole is extremely large, 3 sections, about 95 cadets all with the same uniform and haircut, you will have to make your presence felt in class early, strongly and often, so that I learn to associate your face with your name. Moreover, I am genuinely interested in your opinion on the matters at hand, which is why your final average will stress the papers and participation.
Reading 10%
Attendance 10%
Participation 15%
Paper #1 20% ca. 1000 words Due Friday 2/20
Paper #2 25% ca. 1000 words Due Monday 3/30
Final Exam 20%
W 1/14 Opening Class
F 1/16 Introduction to the Chronicle Tradition
M 1/19 Geoffrey Dedication (51-2); Parts 4, 5 & 6 (149-211)
W 1/21 Geoffrey Part 7 (212-261)
F 1/23 " " "
M 1/26 Introduction to the Romance Tradition
W 1/28 Chrétien Yvain
F 1/30 " " "
M 2/2 Chrétien Lancelot
W 2/4 " " "
F 2/6 Introduction to the English Tradition
M 2/9 Alliterative Morte Arthure
W 2/11 " " "
F 2/13 " " "
M 2/16 Malory Introduction (9-24)
W 2/18 Malory Books 1-5 (27-49)
F 2/20 Malory Books 6-7 (50-72)
PAPER #1 DUE
M 2/23 Malory Book 8 (73-81)
W 2/25 Malory Book 9 (82-109)
F 2/27 Malory Book 9 (109-135)
M 3/2 Malory Book 10 (136-156)
W 3/4 Malory Book 11 (157-214)
F 3/6 " " "
M 3/9--F 3/13 SPRING BREAK NO CLASS
M 3/16 Malory Book 12 (215-261 plus handout)
W 3/18 " " "
F 3/20 Malory Book 13 (262-317)
M 3/23 " " "
W 3/25 Introduction to the Modern Tradition
F 3/27 Tennyson Dedication; Coming of Arthur (13-26)
M 3/30 Tennyson Lancelot and Elaine; The Holy Grail (138-192)
PAPER #2 DUE
W 4/1 Tennyson The Last Tournament (206-224)
F 4/3 Tennyson Guinevere; The Passing of Arthur; To the Queen (224-255)
M 4/6 Twain Chapts. I-X (1-50)
W 4/8 Twain Chapts. XI-XXVI (50-159)
F 4/10 Twain Chapts. XXVII-XLIV (160-274)
M 4/13 No Class (Night: Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
W 4/15 Discussion of Monty Python and the Holy Grail
F 4/17 White "The Sword in the Stone" (7-210)
M 4/20 White "Queen of Air and Darkness" (211-312)
W 4/22 White "The Ill-Made Knight" (313-397)
F 4/24 White " " (397-514)
M 4/27 White "The Candle in the Wind" (515-587)
W 4/29 White " " (587-639)
F 5/1 No Class (Night: Excalibur)
M 5/4 Discussion of Excalibur
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Instructor: Baragona Course: EN 378-1 Time: TThS 11:00
Office: 435A Scott Shipp Phone: 485 Hours: TWTh 10:00-11:00
Texts: Please make sure you get the edition or translation specified so that everyone will be reading the same text and referring to the same page numbers in class.
Geoffrey of Monmouth The History of the Kings of Britain (Penguin Classics; Lewis Thorpe, trans.)
Chrétien de Troyes Arthurian Romances (Everyman; W.W. Comfort, trans.)
Anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (W.W. Norton; Marie Borroff, trans.)
Anonymous The Alliterative Morte Arthure, with The Owl and the Nightingale and Five Other Middle English Poems (S.IL.U. Press; John Gardner, trans.)
Thomas Malory Le Morte D'Arthur (Colliers; R.M. Lumiansky, ed.)
T.H. White The Once and Future King (Berkley)
The purpose of this course is to study the most enduring tradition in English literature, perhaps in any literature, the story of King Arthur, first to give a sense of its development in the Middle Ages, and second to examine some of its more modern versions. The centerpiece of the course is Sir Thomas Malory, who represents the culmination of the medieval tradition and is the source of virtually all modern treatments. As we work toward and away from Malory, we will consider what appeal the Arthur legend had for different eras, for different societies, and for individual authors. In the process, I hope that you will find the story holds an appeal of some kind for you.
Papers: In order to make that more likely, this course will have no tests except for the final exam, which will cover the modern treatment of Arthur. The first paper can be on almost anything to do with the medieval Arthur, and the second paper must deal in some respect with Malory. The assignments will afford you as much flexibility as I can devise and still provide some guidance, and they will give you a chance to pursue any aspect of your interest in the Arthurian legend, historical, literary or otherwise. The final exam will require you to write about your outside reading of modern versions of the story.
Reading Depositions: Though there are no tests in this class, there is a fairly heavy amount of reading, and keeping up with the reading will be the hardest part of the course. The material itself will provide most of the incentive to keep up, but to inspire you further, on a random but frequent basis, I will ask for a certified statement on your reading. If you have read the whole assignment for a given day, you will award yourself 100 points. If you've read 75-99% (by number of pages), you will give yourself 75 points. If you have read only 50-74%, you will get 50 points. Less than half gets you a zero. For example, on January 21, if you have read through p.261, you get 100 points; through p.249, 75 points; through p.236, 50 points; otherwise, none (I will give you the page numbers when I ask for the account; note, if no page numbers are specified on the reading schedule, you should read the WHOLE work by the FIRST day of discussion). At the end of the term, I will tally all your points, divide by the number of statements and give you a single grade on a 100 point scale. There is one proviso. If class discussion flags, I will assume that you are "reading" merely by skimming the page with your eyes, without absorbing any of the content, and I will have to give you more traditional reading quizzes.
Participation: Please note that attendance and participation are not the same thing. You don't participate just by showing up. On the other hand, almost any noise you make in class does constitute participation (excluding laughter, applause, if any, burps, etc.). Questions, comments, wisecracks all count. Remember also that because I will have to get to know who you are in order to credit you with a noise, you will have to make your presence felt in class early, strongly and often, so that I learn to associate your face with your name. Moreover, I am genuinely interested in your opinion, which is why your final average will stress the papers and participation. Shyness is no excuse.
Films: You will be seeing five films this semester, in the order listed below, as examples of different, peculiarly modern approaches to Arthurian legend. Not all the films are serious (certainly not all the movies are works of art), but our purpose in viewing them is serious. Since they will figure on your exam, they will be check formations (even if you have seen them before).
Reading 10%
Participation 15%
Paper #1 20% ca. 1000 words Due Th 3/3
Paper #2 30% ca. 1000 words Due T 4/5
Final Exam 25%
Your final exam in this class will be based on the films you see and on outside reading that you will be doing throughout the semester. Below is a list of books written in the 19th and 20th centuries about the King Arthur story. By Tuesday, 2 February, you must make a choice of reading to do for the final exam and inform me in writing so that I can have the bookstore order copies for you. Your final exam will be in two parts. Part I will ask you to discuss the movies you have seen as modern versions of the legend. Part II will ask you to discuss your outside reading (I will give you the questions beforehand). All questions in Part II will require you to discuss your choice in comparison with its medieval sources and in its own right. That calls for a close examination of the author's apparent intentions in choosing the Arthur story for a modern work and in treating it in particular ways. Our class discussion of T.H. White's The Once and Future King will serve as a model for how to discuss a modern version of Arthurian legend. Note since some books are considerably shorter or easier than others, some choices in the list include more than one work. I have tried to make the length or difficulty of the assignments equitable. For example, Twain's Connecticut Yankee is much shorter than Berger's Arthur Rex, so you will have to read it in conjunction with White's The Book of Merlyn. Tennyson's Idylls of the King, on the other hand, look short, but since they are poems, they are somewhat more difficult than the novels and so can be read alone.
TH 1/14 Opening Class
S 1/16 Introduction to the Chronicle Tradition
T 1/19 Geoffrey Dedication (51-2) ; Parts 4, 5 & 6 (149-211)
TH 1/21 Geoffrey Part 7 (212-261)
S 1/23 " " "
T 1/26 Introduction to the Romance Tradition
TH 1/28 Chrétien Lancelot
S 1/30 " " " (Midwinter Hops)
T 2/2 Chrétien Yvain
TH 2/4 " " "
S 2/6 " " "
T 2/9 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
TH 2/11 " " "
S 2/13 " " "
T 2/16 " " "
W 2/17 Night: viewing/discussion of Sword of the Valiant
TH 2/18 Background to Alliterative Morte Arthure
S 2/20 No Class (for Sword of the Valiant)
T 2/23 Alliterative Morte Arthure
TH 2/25 " " "
S 2/27 " " "
T 3/1 Malory: Books 1 & 2 (Birth & Roman Campaign)
TH 3/3 Malory: Books 3 & 4 (Lancelot & Gareth)
Paper #1 Due
S-S 3/5-12 MIDSEMESTER FURLOUGH
T 3/15 Malory: Book 5 (Tristram)
TH 3/17 Malory: " "
S 3/19 Malory: Book 6 (Holy Grail)
T 3/22 Malory: " "
TH 3/24 Malory: Book 7 (Lancelot and Guinevere)
S 3/26 Malory: " "
T 3/29 Malory: Book 8 (Death of Arthur)
TH 3/31 Malory: " "
F 4/1 Night: viewing/discussion of Monty Python etc.
S 4/2 No Class (for Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
T 4/5 Malory and the Modern Tradition
TH 4/7 White "The Sword in the Stone" (7-210)
S 4/9 No Class (for The Sword in the Stone) (HOPS)
M 4/11 Night: viewing/discussion of Sword in the Stone
T 4/12 White "Queen of Air and Darkness" (211-312)
TH 4/14 White " "
S 4/16 White "The Ill-Made Knight" (313-397)
T 4/19 White " " (397-514)
TH 4/21 White "The Candle in the Wind" (515-587)
S 4/23 No Class (for Camelot)
T 4/26 White "The Candle in the Wind" (587-639)
Night: viewing/discussion of Camelot
TH 4/28 White "The Candle in the Wind"
F 4/29 Night: Screening of Excalibur
S 4/30 No Class (for Excalibur)
T 5/3 Discussion of Excalibur-- LAST CLASS
TH 5/5-12 FINAL EXAMS
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EN 378 (Sec 1) MWF 9:00-9:50
Prof.: Baragona Office: SS 435-A Hours: MTW 1:00-2:30
Malory Le Morte Darthur (ed. Lumiansky), Collier
Tennyson Idylls of the King, Signet
Twain A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Bantam
White The Once and Future King, Berkley
The purpose of this course is to study the most enduring tradition in English literature, perhaps in any literature, the story of King Arthur, first to give a sense of its development in the Middle Ages, and second to examine some of its more modern versions. The centerpiece of the course is Sir Thomas Malory, who represents the culmination of the medieval tradition, which we will discuss as we read him, and who is the source of virtually all modern treatments, three important examples of which you will read. As we work toward and away from Malory, we will consider what appeal the Arthur legend had for different eras, for different societies, and for individual authors. In the process, I hope that you will find the story holds an appeal of some kind for you.
Papers In order to make that more likely, this course will have no tests except for the final exam. The written work will be papers. The first paper can be on almost anything to do with the medieval Arthur, and the second paper must deal in some respect with Malory, either treating Malory alone or comparing him to modern derivatives. The final exam will be, as much as possible, in the nature of a third paper, and will deal only with the modern (meaning 19th- and 20th-century) treatments of Arthur. The assignments will afford you as much flexibility as I can devise and still provide some guidance, and they will give you a chance to pursue any aspect of your interest in the Arthurian legend, historical, literary or otherwise.
Reading Depositions Though you are reading only four works this semester, the length of two of them and the poetic genre of another make the amount of reading in this class fairly heavy, and keeping up with the reading will be the hardest part of the course. The material itself will provide most of the incentive to keep up, but to inspire you further, on a random but frequent basis, I will ask for a certified statement on your reading. If you have read the whole assignment for a given day, you will award yourself 100 points. If you've read 75-99% (by number of pages), you will give yourself 75 points. If you have read only 50-74%, you will get 50 points. Less than half gets you a zero. For example, on August 28, if you have read through p.61, you get 100 points; through p.47, 75 points; through p.33, 50 points; otherwise, none (I will give you the page numbers when I ask for the account; note, if no page numbers are specified on the reading schedule, you should read the WHOLE work by the FIRST day of discussion). At the end of the term, I will tally all your points, divide by the number of statements and give you a single grade on a 100 point scale. There is one proviso. If class discussion flags, I will assume that you are "reading" merely by skimming the page with your eyes, without absorbing any of the content, and I will have to give you more traditional reading quizzes. Please understand that my system of reading depostions is meant to reward you for keeping up with your work, not punish you for falling behind.
Participation Please note that attendance and participation are not the same thing. You don't participate just by showing up. On the other hand, almost any noise you make in class does constitute participation (excluding laughter, applause, if any, burps, etc.). Questions, comments, wisecracks (that make me laugh) all count. Remember also that because I will have to get to know who you are in order to credit you with a noise, you will have to make your presence felt in class early, strongly and often, so that I learn to associate your face with your name. Moreover, I am genuinely interested in your opinion, which is why papers and participation make up 55% of your final average. Shyness is no excuse.
Films You will be seeing four films this semester, in the order listed below, as examples of different, peculiarly modern approaches to Arthurian legend. Not all the films are serious (certainly not all the movies are works of art), but our purpose in viewing them is serious. Since they will figure on your exam, they will be check formations (even if you have seen them before).
Paper #1: 20% DUE WEDNESDAY 2/13
Paper #2: 30% DUE FRIDAY 4/12
Final: 25%
Reading: 10%
Participation: 15%
WEEK 1
W 1/16 Introduction to the Course
F 1/18 Background to Malory
WEEK 2
M 1/21 Malory: Part 1 "The Coming of Arthur," 3-61
W 1/23 Malory: Part 1 "The Coming of Arthur," 62-116
F 1/25 Malory: Part 2 "Arthur's War Against the Emperor Lucius," 119-137
WEEK 3
M 1/28 Malory: Part 3 "Sir Lancelot du Lake," 141-166
W 1/30 Malory: Part 4 "Sir Gareth of Orkney," 169-220
F 2/1 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 223-269
WEEK 4
M 2/4 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 270-317
W 2/6 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 318-351
F 2/8 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 352-413
WEEK 5
M 2/11 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 414-470
W 2/13 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 471-517
PAPER #1 DUE
F 2/15 Malory: Part 6 "The Quest of the Grail," 521-560
WEEK 6
M 2/18 Malory: Part 6 "The Quest of the Grail," 561-590
W 2/20 Malory: Part 6 "The Quest of the Grail," 591-624
F 2/22 Malory: Part 7 "Lancelot and Guenivere," 627-659
WEEK 7
M 2/25 Malory: Part 7 "Lancelot and Guenivere," 660-689
W 2/27 Malory: Part 8 "The Death of Arthur," 693-721
F 3/1 Malory: Part 8 "The Death of Arthur," 722-742
WEEK 8
M 3/4 Between Malory and the Moderns: Background
W 3/6 Tennyson "Dedication"; "The Coming of Arthur" (13-26)
F 3/8 Tennyson "Merlin and Vivien"; "Lancelot and Elaine" (116-171)
MWF 3/11-3/15 SPRING BREAK
WEEK 9
M 3/18 Tennyson "The Holy Grail" (171-192)
W 3/20 Tennyson "The Last Tournament" (206-224)
F 3/22 Tennyson "Guinevere"; "The Passing of Arthur"; "To the Queen" (224-255)
WEEK 10
M 3/25 Twain Chapts. I-X (1-50)
W 3/27 Twain Chapts. XI-XXVI (50-159)
F 3/29 Twain Chapts. XXVII-XLIV (160-274)
WEEK 11
M 4/1 Arthur at the Movies
CHECK FORMATION 7:30 P.M.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
W 4/3 Discussion of Monty Python and the Holy Grail
F 4/5 No Class for Check Formation, Monday night 4/1
WEEK 12
M 4/8 White "The Sword in the Stone" (7-210)
W 4/10 Continue discussion of "The Sword in the Stone"
F 4/12 NO CLASS for Check Formation tonight
CHECK FORMATION 7:30 P.M.
Disney's The Sword in the Stone
PAPER #2 DUE (by 5:00 P.M. in box outside my door)
WEEK 13
M 4/15 White "The Queen of Air and Darkness" (211-312)
W 4/17 White "The Ill-Made Knight" (313-397)
F 4/19 White " " (397-514)
WEEK 14
M 4/22 Finish discussion of "The Ill-Made Knight"
W 4/24 White "The Candle in the Wind" (515-587)
F 4/26 White " " (587-639)
WEEK 15
M 4/29 NO CLASS for Check Formation tonight
CHECK FORMATION 7:30 P.M.
Camelot
W 5/1 Discussion of Camelot
F 5/3 NO CLASS for Check Formation tonight
CHECK FORMATION 7:30 P.M.
Excalibur
WEEK 16
M 5/6 Discussion of Excalibur
W 5/8 EXAMS BEGIN
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EN 378 (Sec 1) MWF 9:00-9:50
Prof.: Baragona Office: SS 435-A Hours: TTh 1:00-3:30
REQUIRED TEXTS
Geoffrey The History of the Kings of Britain (Penguin Classics; Lewis Thorpe, trans.)
Chrétien Yvain, or the Knight with the Lion (trans. by R.H. Cline)
Chrétien Lancelot, or the Knight of the Cart (trans. by R.H. Cline)
Chrétien Perceval, or The Story of the Grail (trans. by R.H. Cline)
Malory Le Morte Darthur (ed. Lumiansky; pub., Collier)
OUTSIDE READING
Tennyson Idylls of the King (Signet)
Lanier The Boy's King Arthur
Twain A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Bantam)
Pyle King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
White The Once and Future King (Berkley) and Merlin (Berkley)
Berger Arthur Rex
The purpose of this course is to study the most enduring tradition in English literature, perhaps in any literature, the story of King Arthur, primarily to give a sense of its development in the Middle Ages, but also to examine some of its more modern versions. The centerpieces of the course are Chrétien de Troyes, who represents the beginning of Arthurian Romance, and Sir Thomas Malory, who represents the culmination of the medieval tradition, and who is the source of virtually all modern treatments, important examples of which you will read in groups outside of class to make oral reports for the rest of the students. As we work through these versions of the Arthur story, we will consider what appeal the legend had for different eras, for different societies, and for individual authors. In the process, I hope that you will find the story holds an appeal of some kind for you.
Papers In order to make that more likely, this course will have no tests except for the final exam. The written work will be papers. The first paper can be on almost anything to do with the medieval Arthur, and the second paper must deal in some respect with either Chrétien or Malory. The final exam will be, as much as possible, in the nature of a third paper, and will aks you to compare Malory to the modern (meaning 19th- and 20th-century) treatments of Arthur that you read outside of class. The assignments will afford you as much flexibility as I can devise and still provide some guidance, and they'll give you a chance to pursue any aspect of your interest in the Arthurian legend, historical, literary or otherwise.
Reading Depositions The hardest part of this course will be keeping up with the reading. The material itself will provide most of the incentive to keep up, but to inspire you further, on a random but frequent basis, I will ask for a certified statement on your reading. If you have read the whole assignment for a given day, you will award yourself 100 points. If you've read 75-99% (by number of pages), you will give yourself 75 points. If you have read only 50-74%, you will get 50 points. Less than half gets you a zero. For example, on March 2, if you have read through p.61, you get 100 points; through p.47, 75 points; through p.33, 50 points; otherwise, none (I will give you the page numbers when I ask for the account; note, if no page numbers are specified on the reading schedule, you should read the WHOLE work by the FIRST day of discussion). At the end of the term, I will tally all your points, divide by the number of statements and give you a single grade on a 100 point scale. There is one proviso. If class discussion flags, I will assume that you are "reading" merely by skimming the page with your eyes, without absorbing any of the content, and I will have to give you more traditional reading quizzes. Please understand that my system of reading depostions is meant to reward you for keeping up with your work, not punish you for falling behind.
Participation Please note that attendance and participation are not the same thing. You don't participate just by showing up. On the other hand, almost any noise you make in class does constitute participation (excluding laughter, applause, if any, burps, etc.). Questions, comments, wisecracks (that make me laugh) all count. Remember also that because I will have to get to know who you are in order to credit you with a noise, you will have to make your presence felt in class early, strongly and often, so that I learn to associate your face with your name. Moreover, I am genuinely interested in your opinion, which is why papers and participation make up 55% of your final average. SHYNESS IS NO EXCUSE.
Films You will be seeing two films this semester as examples of different, peculiarly modern approaches to Arthurian legend. One is serious and the other is not, but our purpose in viewing them is serious. Since they will figure on your exam, they will be check formations (even if you have seen them before).
Group Reports You will each sign up for a group according to the books listed in the Outside Reading. Each group will be responsible to prepare an oral report on the book or books (in the case of Pyle, members of the group might read different works in his series). YOU SHOULD BE READING YOUR BOOKS THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES PUT THE READING OFF; IT IS LONG AND SOME OF IT IS DIFFICULT. The dates for the reports are May 1 and 4. All members of the group will participate in the report and will receive a grade on their contribution. Criteria for the reports will become clear through class discussion of the medieval works. In general, they should focus on how the writers made the medieval tradition appeal to their own times.
Paper #1: 15% DUE WEDNESDAY 2/28
Paper #2: 25% DUE FRIDAY 4/24
Group Reports: 15% FRIDAY 5/1 AND MONDAY 5/4
Final: 20%
Reading: 10%
Participation: 15%
WEEK 1
W 1/15 Opening Class
F 1/17 Introduction to the Chronicle Tradition
WEEK 2
M 1/20 Geoffrey Dedication (51-2); Parts 4, 5 & 6 (149-211)
W 1/22 Geoffrey Part 7 (212-261)
F 1/24 " " "
WEEK 3
M 1/27 Introduction to the Romance Tradition
W 1/29 Chrétien Yvain, or The Knight with the Lion (pp. 1-133, l. 4480)
F 1/31 Chrétien Yvain, or The Knight with the Lion (pp. 133-193)
WEEK 4
M 2/3 Chrétien Yvain, or The Knight with the Lion
W 2/5 Chrétien Yvain, or The Knight with the Lion
F 2/7 Chrétien Yvain, or The Knight with the Lion
WEEK 5
M 2/10 Chrétien Lancelot, or The Knight of the Cart (pp. 1-140, l. 5043)
W 2/12 Chrétien Lancelot, or The Knight of the Cart (pp. 140-196)
F 2/14 Chrétien Lancelot, or The Knight of the Cart
WEEK 6
M 2/17 Chrétien Lancelot, or The Knight of the Cart
W 2/19 Chrétien Perceval, or the Quest of the Holy Grail(pp. 1-125)
F 2/21 Chrétien Perceval, or the Quest of the Holy Grail (126-167)
WEEK 7
M 2/24 Chrétien Perceval, or the Quest of the Holy Grail (168-244)
W 2/26 Chrétien Perceval, or the Quest of the Holy Grail (Introduction, pp. ix-xxii and notes 20-30 & 41)
F 2/28 Introduction to the English Tradition (PAPER 1 DUE)
WEEK 8
M 3/2 Malory: Part 1 "The Coming of Arthur," 3-61
W 3/4 Malory: Part 1 "The Coming of Arthur," 62-116
F 3/6 Malory: Part 2 "Arthur's War Against the Emperor Lucius," 119-137
M 3/9--F 3/13 SPRING BREAK NO CLASS
WEEK 9
M 3/16 Malory: Part 3 "Sir Lancelot du Lake," 141-166
W 3/18 Malory: Part 4 "Sir Gareth of Orkney," 169-220
F 3/20 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 223-269
WEEK 10
M 3/23 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 270-317
W 3/25 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 318-351
F 3/27 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 352-413
WEEK 11
M 3/30 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 414-470
W 4/1 Malory: Part 5 "Sir Tristram of Lyoness," 471-517
F 4/3 Malory: Part 6 "The Quest of the Grail," 521-560
WEEK 12
M 4/6 Malory: Part 6 "The Quest of the Grail," 561-590
W 4/8 Malory: Part 6 "The Quest of the Grail," 591-624
F 4/10 Malory: Part 7 "Lancelot and Guenivere," 627-659
WEEK 13
M 4/13 Malory: Part 7 "Lancelot and Guenivere," 660-689
W 4/15 Malory: Part 8 "The Death of Arthur," 693-721
F 4/17 Malory: Part 8 "The Death of Arthur," 722-742
WEEK 14
M 4/20 Between Malory and the Moderns
W 4/22 No Class to see Monty Python and the Holy Grail
F 4/24 Discussion of Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(PAPER 2 DUE)
WEEK 15
M 4/27 No Class to see Excalibur
W 4/29 Discussion of Excalibur
F 5/1 ORAL REPORTS:
19th-Century Arthurs--Tennyson, Lanier, Twain
WEEK 16
M 5/4 ORAL REPORTS:
20th-Century Arthurs--Pyle, White, Berger
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