ENH2190

Gods and Fairies: An Introduction to Middle English

(ART)

C Stevenson

6 points + 2.5 hours per week + Second semester + Clayton + Prerequisites: ENH2020 or ENH3020 or permission

Synopsis: A study of verse and prose narrative from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The literature is read in the original language and discussed in its linguistic and cultural context. The particular focus of the subject is an examination of how a selection of Middle English texts treat the supernatural (in particular, the form and function of gods and fairies) as subject matter. The major authors, Chaucer and Malory, and a selection of anonymous Middle English texts will all be read in Middle English, while additional Old and Middle English texts will be read in translation.

Assessment: Essay (2000 words): 40% + Essay (2000 words): 40% + Seminar assessment (including a paper of 500 words): 20% + An optional examination (3 hours) may replace up to 40% of the written work