English 536: Medieval Literature
Spring 2009
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Most of us know about the Middle Ages from writers and films of some kind. Tolkien's books, for example, are awash with themes, creatures, languages, and word-names that comes straight from the literature of the Middle Ages. Tolkien himself was a great medievalist who published serious scholarly work in the field. So was C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia and That Hideous Strength, a modern-day tale of King Arthur. How realistic are these depictions of the Middle Ages? Where do these ideas about the age come from? This course will examine some of the great medieval works that shaped the imagination of Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and others: Dante's Inferno; the great Middle English allegory, Piers Plowman; the Lais of Marie de France; Chaucer's Legend of Good Women, and a few more. We'll spice things up with some popular films about the Middle Ages, and assess what medievalism has finally become to the modern age.
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