Camp, Cynthia
TR 11:10 AM
Park Hall 139
The tendency of the English professor is to cram as much Cool Stuff into the syllabus as they can. This class is deliberately doing the opposite: instead of giving you a broad survey of Cool Stuff from Middle English Literature (roughly 1300-1500), we’re just reading one long poems (and some related stuff), deeply and thoroughly. This is not only the best way to understand these texts well; it also replicates medieval reading practices, as we’ll discuss in class. This poem, the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is among the masterpieces of English literature of any period, and will repay the slow, careful attention we will give it. We’ll read some shorter pieces as well – both medieval and contemporary – to frame and deepen our appreciation of this poem.
While engaging in some deliberate slow reading, we will also practice the basic skills of the English major: close reading, word studies, poetry explication, and thoughtful engagement with secondary criticism. Expect to read a lot, to write regularly, to engage with your classmates in person and online, and to have your mind blown by works written nearly 650 years ago.
Required Texts:
Please note that it is possible to go astray in buying the required Sir Gawain and the Green Knight – there are “wrong” versions it. If you are buying on your own (used or new, from wherever you prefer), double check your purchases before clicking that “buy” button. But any version will work for the other book
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, ed. Paul Battles (Broadview Press, 2012). Make sure you get the Battles edition linked here, NOT the Winny edition, also published by Broadview. You can buy an e-text directly from the publisher from this link, and that is acceptable for this course.
They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. Gerald Graff and Cahy Birkenstein. 4th edition preferred. Please feel free to get a used copy, an ebook, borrow a copy from a roommate -- you will need a copy of this book, but you're welcome to get one in the most cost effective way possible.
Optional texts:
The Middle English Breton Lays, ed. Anne Laskaya and Eve Salisbury (ISBN-13: 978-1879288621). You should be able to get a used copy easily. We will be using texts from this volume from Day 1. If you are a paper book person, you will want this, but you can also read them for free online.
Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales, ed. Thomas Hahn (ISBN-13: 978-1879288591). If you can get a used copy of this book, I strongly recommend it (there should be lots and lots), but you can also read them for free online.
Other texts will be made available as PDFs and/or as online texts.