ENGL 564

Spring 2018 Part of Term 1

Part of Term 1
Jan 16-May 2

Seminar Lit Modes and Genres

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Credit: 4 hours.

May be repeated if topics vary. Prerequisite: One year of graduate study of literature or consent of instructor.

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ENGL 564 class schedule data for spring 2018
	CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
	32281	Lecture-Discussion	T	3:00PM -4:50PM	R	English Building	Wright, C	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/18-05/02/18 Section Title: Apocrypha in the Middle Ages Section Info: Topic: The Apocrypha in the Middle Ages In the Middle Ages the Bible was complemented by a wide range of apocryphal and pseudepigraphical narratives that purported to supply information and back-stories that the Bible left out, such as the fall of Lucifer; the life of Adam and Eve after the Fall; the childhood of Jesus; the Harrowing of Hell; the visions and missions of the apostles; the life and Assumption of Mary; and the fate of souls after death. Despite their non-canonical status, these narratives were widely popular and widely read. Many were translated or adapted in medieval vernacular languages, and they profoundly influenced medieval beliefs, literature, and art. We will read (in modern English translation) some of the most important and influential Jewish and Christian apocrypha, focusing on their medieval transmission and influence as well as on some of their medieval vernacular avatars. Special attention will be paid to the apocrypha in Anglo-Saxon England and Ireland, but we will also be concerned with the apocrypha as a broader global medieval phenomenon in which texts originally written in (or now surviving only in) Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, Ethiopic, and Coptic were translated into Latin and migrated across Europe. There will also be some cross-cultural comparison with the relation of apocrypha to scriptural canon in other medieval religions, notably in Islamic and Buddhist. Reading knowledge of Latin (or any other medieval language) is not required or expected (though it would obviously be an advantage in enabling access to the original texts, opening up research possibilities, and following the secondary scholarship). Seminar papers can deal with any aspect of the original apocryphal writings, with their medieval transmission, translation, adaptation, or influence, or with apocryphal writings in other medieval world religions.