This module offers students the opportunity to read and engage critically with examples of two major medieval genres in the context of the social and cultural history of the period. It is taught in two parts: weeks 1–5 cover ‘Medieval Epic’; then, after reading week, weeks 7–11 cover ‘Medieval Romance’. ‘Medieval Epic’ introduces students to narrative poetry preserved in English manuscripts of the Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman periods. Students will make a detailed study of the most famous Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, in a translation by the Nobel prize-winning contemporary Irish poet, Seamus Heaney. This will be followed by study (in modern English translation) of The Song of Roland, the most celebrated of the French epic poems known as chansons de geste (‘songs of deeds’).

The second half of the module, ‘Medieval Romance’, begins with two lais (narrative poems) by Marie de France (c.1170), also read in translation. This is followed by an in-depth study of selected narratives from Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur (c.1469), a hybrid text that moves from tales of war and the foundation of a British kingdom in its early parts to a series of related individual romances in the remainder of the text.

The emphasis in the module will be on understanding the poems in their historical and cultural contexts. In studying these texts we will be examining how and why the preferred mode of medieval narrative shifted from epic to romance, and how this shift reflected cultural and social changes in the twelfth and later centuries. Additionally, students will encounter a range of issues and contexts that are central to the study of medieval literature, including courtly love, chivalry, the Crusades, feudalism, and the transition from oral to manuscript culture. With the publication of Heaney’s translation of Beowulf in 1999 and the appearance of J. R. R. Tolkien’s version in 2014 the Anglo-Saxon poem has become newly prominent in contemporary culture; other material on the module includes two legendary traditions that were immensely popular across Europe in the Middle Ages and have continued to resonate to the present: stories of the part played by Charlemagne and Roland in the struggle between medieval Christianity and Islam, and the tales of King Arthur, Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table.

· demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of examples of medieval epic and romance

· demonstrate an informed awareness of key issues in the study of the set texts

· see the relevance of contextual material and recent criticism and engage with it appropriately in assessed work

· think critically about the interrelation of texts and their contexts

· write a lucid account of selected material in the light of issues and approaches explored in the course

There will be two lectures per week devoted to this module and one seminar per week.

During this course students will become familiar with several complementary approaches to the study of early literature. They will improve their scholarly and critical skills, engage in contemporary academic debates and develop their skill in producing lucid critical arguments. Particular emphasis will be placed on appreciating the importance of genre and form – what they mean, how they operate, and how they come into being. Although both parts of this module will use texts in translation, there will be some need for students to become familiar with forms of English which are quite different from contemporary English. Employability skills include the ability to synthesise information, to operate in group-based discussion involving negotiating ideas, and to produce clear, informed arguments in a professional manner.

Students write two 1600-word essays, both due at the end of the module – one on epic and one on romance.

The module is assessed according to the Marking Criteria set out in the English Literature Course Guide. There are otherwise no academic or competence standards which limit the availability of adjustments or alternative assessments for students with disabilities.

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE:

In accordance with University regulations, students are allowed two attempts at retrieval of any failed assessment, with the cap of the individual essay set at 40%.

The main readings for this module are printed texts, critical books,and journal articles.Students should contact the module leader as early as possible if they will require readings in an alternative format.

Part 1: Medieval Epic

Part 2:Medieval Romance

The set texts for this module are (in order of study):

Beowulf: A Verse Translation, trans. Seamus Heaney, ed. Daniel Donoghue (New York: Norton, 2002)

The Song of Roland, trans. Glyn Burgess (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1990)

Marie de France, Bisclavret and Guigemar (copies to be made available)

Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, ed. Stephen H. A. Shepherd (New York: Norton, 2004)

Detailed lists of recommended secondary reading will be provided at the beginning of each half of the module, with further suggestions as appropriate throughout the semester.

None given.