SE2295: Medieval Arthurian Literature

School English Literature
Department Code ENCAP
Module Code SE2295
External Subject Code 100319
Number of Credits 20
Level L6
Language of Delivery English
Module Leader DR Stephen Gordon
Semester Autumn Semester
Academic Year 2022/3

Outline Description of Module

This module aims to introduce you to some of the major Arthurian texts written during the Middle Ages. This may include historical annals, Latin histories, Welsh tales and Saints’ Lives, as well as French and English romance. In particular, the module will concentrate on the first ‘flowering’ of Arthurian literature produced in Europe during the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, and on the later fourteenth- and fifteenth-century English traditions. We will pay particular attention to the contexts in which these texts appeared and the ways in which the many variations in the tradition respond to and realise issues relevant to their culture and period.

On completion of the module a student should be able to

On successful completion of the module students will be expected to:

  • recognise the history, range and shifting nature of the Arthurian legend in the medieval period
  • analyse the course texts closely (including some texts in Middle English) and in terms of their genres and contemporary contexts
  • apply appropriate critical methodologies
  • produce an interpretive argument that is sensitive to medieval narrative practices

How the module will be delivered

The module will be delivered through a mix of large group and small group sessions, including, where relevant, asynchronous materials such as lecture recordings. Full details on the delivery mode of this module will be available on Learning Central at the start of the academic year – and may be, in part, determined by Welsh Government and Public Health Wales guidance. 

Skills that will be practised and developed

Academic skills: this module will develop and practise skills in close reading, independent scholarly research and critical thinking, while paying attention to different dialects of historical languages, and the ability to consider a wide range of texts from different but interrelated cultures when producing a critical argument.

Employability skills: these include the ability to synthesise information, negotiate complex ideas, communicate in group-based discussion, and write and present clear and compelling arguments in a professional manner. Student-led research will encourage skills of information collation, selection and synthesis.

How the module will be assessed

The methods of summative assessment for this module are detailed in the table below.

Formative work to be submitted before each summative assessment: you can choose between submitting, as appropriate, an essay plan/structure, synopses of essay topic options (if undecided) or sample paragraph/s; for creative assignments, you can submit working drafts of parts of your composition, as arranged with the workshop convenor.

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE:
As with School policy, failed or unsubmitted assessments can be retaken during the August resit period.

Assessment Breakdown

Type % Title Duration(hrs)
Written Assessment 25 Critical Analysis N/A
Written Assessment 75 Essay N/A

Syllabus content

Indicative Syllabus:

This module will explore a selection of Arthurian texts from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries as well as some short or excerpted post-medieval adaptations of or responses to these texts.

Course texts may include the following authors or works:

  • Geoffrey of Monmouth
  • Marie de France
  • Chrétien de Troyes
  • Thomas Malory
  • King Artus
  • Roman de Silence
  • Middle English Arthurian romances (e.g. The Awntyrs off Arthur, Morte Darthur and Sir Perceval of Galles)

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