This module offers students the opportunity to read and engage critically with diverse examples of medieval narrative prose and poetry in four of the major languages of the British Isles: Old English, Middle Welsh, Anglo-Norman and Middle English. It is taught in two parts, ‘Medieval Epic’ and ‘Medieval Encounters’, which run concurrently.

‘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’).

‘Medieval Encounters’ analyses a series of texts in Middle Welsh, Anglo-Norman (in translation) and Middle English (in the original) that deal with loss, and in some cases, renewal. Each text powerfully explores political, ethical, sexual and gendered themes in mythic, even fantastical, settings. “Branwen” is a part – or branch – of a series of interrelated mythic prose tales written in Welsh, known as the Mabinogi. Branwen is sister of Bendigeidfran, King of the Island of Britain. She marries the King of Ireland, who abuses her due to an insult by her half-brother, Efnisien. A tragic war ensues resulting in the destruction of both Ireland and Britain. The lais of Marie de France, written in England in the twelfth century in Anglo-Norman, the dialect of the Norman subjugators of the English, depict loss and recovery in a very different, and much more individualised, way. Retelling Celtic (Breton) tales in the newly sophisticated French form of romance, “Guigemar” recounts the story of an asexual Breton knight sexually recuperated in an otherworldly chamber of love, while “Bisclavret” presents a twelfth-century spin on the traditional werewolf myth. “Sir Orfeo” translates the Breton lai form into Middle-English, as it retells the Classical story of Orpheus who rescues his wife from the Fairy King. Finally, we read the last two (of eight) books of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur, the classic English prose retelling of the Arthurian story, in which private desires clash with public duties, resulting in further cataclysmic destruction to the Islands of Britain.

In both parts of the module, the emphasis will be on understanding the texts in their historical and cultural contexts. A major focus of the course is the analysis of how medieval communities – English, Welsh, Anglo-Norman – configured themselves through narrative art forms, which commonly depicted themselves engaging in fractious, ideologically-loaded encounters with the Other (including different national communities, the supernatural, and the otherworld). 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 narrative genres

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

· understand 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. Tuesday lectures will focus on ‘Medieval Encounters’; Thursday lectures will focus on ‘Medieval Epic’.

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 Medieval Epic and one on Medieval Encounters.

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%.

Assessment Breakdown

Type

%

Qualifying Mark

Title

Duration(hrs)

Period

Week

Written Assessment

50

N/A

Medieval Narrative & Nation 1

N/A

1

N/A

Written Assessment

50

N/A

Medieval Narrative & Nation 2

N/A

1

N/A

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.

1. Introduction: Epic and Romance 
2. Beowulf: Orality, Textuality, Translation
3. Beowulf: the Monsters   
4. Beowulf: the Hero and History
5. The Non-Christian Other in Beowulf
6. Reading Week   
7. Tolkien on Beowulf
8. The Song of Roland and the Battle of Hastings: History, Performance, Text 
9. The Non-Christian Other in The Song of Roland
10. Gender and Society in Beowulf and The Song of Roland    
11. Medieval Epic Today

Medieval Encounters

1. Introduction
2. Branwen (Middle-Welsh): text and context
3. Branwen (Middle-Welsh)
4. Marie de France Guigemar (Anglo-Norman)
5. Marie de France Bisclavret (Anglo-Norman)
6. Reading Week
7. Sir Orfeo
8. Thomas Malory, ”Lancelot and Guinevere”, Le Morte Darthur
9. Thomas Malory, ”Lancelot and Guinevere”, Le Morte Darthur
10. Thomas Malory, “The Death of Arthur”, Le Morte Darthur
11. Conclusion

The set texts for this module are:

Medieval Epic

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

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

Medieval Encounters

“The Second Branch of the Mabinog” [“Branwen”], in The Mabinogion, trans. Sioned Davies (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), 22-34

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

Sir Orfeo (copy 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.