MDVL 514

Spring 2020

Part of Term 1
Jan 21-May 6
Seminar in Medieval Literature
Course in Catalog
List of Terms offered
Register for Classes

SHOW FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

Credit: 4 hours.

Same as ENGL 514. See ENGL 514.

My Favorites
My Schedule
Section Status updates every 10 minutes.
CRN Type Section Time Day Location Instructor Section Details
39310
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.
COURSE EXPLORER
Email: Course Explorer Feedback

OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR | 901 W. Illinois Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801

Site developed by: Technology Services at Illinois | UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
1102 Digital Computer Laboratory | MC-256 | Urbana, IL 61801 | phone 217-244-7000