ENGL 514

Spring 2020 Part of Term 1

Part of Term 1
Jan 21-May 6

Seminar in Medieval Literature

SHOW FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

Credit: 4 hours.

Intensive study of selected texts, genres, themes, or theoretical issues in medieval British literature (usually focusing on either Old English or Middle English texts), or of scholarly methods in medieval studies (such as editing, paleography, or bibliography and methods of historical research).

Same as MDVL 514. May be repeated if topics vary. Prerequisite: A college course devoted entirely to an aspect of medieval studies or consent of instructor.

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ENGL 514 class schedule data for spring 2020
	CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
	39309	Lecture-Discussion	E	1:00PM -3:50PM	W	309 English Building	Trilling, R	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Section Title: Beowulf Section Info: Beowulf has been a foundational text of the English literary canon since J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1936 lecture on “The Monsters and the Critics,” and it formed the bedrock of philological studies long before that. Although most students will have encountered Beowulf in at least one undergraduate literature course, this course offers an opportunity to work with the text in its original language of composition. During the semester, students will work through Beowulf in Old English while also working through the poem’s critical history. Beginning with the landmark Tolkien essay, students will survey a range of Beowulf criticism, from its philological origins to the most recent theoretical reappropriations of the text. We will consider major critical issues such as the dating of Beowulf, its manuscript context, Christian and pagan influences, sources and analogues, historical background, orality and literacy, gender, empire, and canonicity. We will make use of digital tools to bring the manuscript into the classroom, and we may even have time to discuss modern reflexes of the poem, such as the Julie Taymor opera Grendel and Maria Dahvana Headley’s The Mere Wife. Restriction(s): Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.