Studying at York
Introduction to Medieval Literature - CED00235C
- Department: Centre for Lifelong Learning
- Credit value: 10 credits
- Credit level: C
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
Module summary
What is medieval literature, and how have these ‘ancient’ texts come down to us as contemporary readers? How do they continue to be relevant and timely in today’s modern world, and what was going on in the world around them in medieval Europe when they were composed? What skills do we need to engage with these texts critically?
This module aims to introduce students to a range of medieval European literature, providing a foundation for further and more specialised study. We will study a mixture of canonical medieval texts such as Beowulf, Gawain and the Green Knight, and Chaucer, to texts you may not have heard of such as Havelok the Dane and Grettis Saga. Throughout, we will practice the analytical skills needed to engage with these texts, basing our reading in historical context and supporting this with brief introductions to medieval languages including Old English, Old Norse, and Middle English.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2024-25 |
Module aims
This module aims to introduce students to a range of medieval European literature, providing a foundation for further and more specialised study. It seeks to equip students with the academic skills needed to engage confidently and independently with medieval European literature, such as metrical analysis, individual appraisal of modern English translations and editions of medieval texts, and scholarly research methodologies. The module is arranged chronologically and surveys a range of medieval European literature, from more popular texts such as Beowulf and Gawain and the Green Knight to texts students might not have encountered before such as Le Bone Florence and Frithiofs saga. It begins with Old English texts, moving through to Middle English romance in comparison with its French counterparts. It then moves on to late-medieval Icelandic literature, taking this as a touchstone for thinking about the origins of studying medieval literature and for asking why and how we should continue to read these, before culminating in an introduction to the afterlives of medieval literature in contemporary poetry. Across this module, students will be encouraged to think about why and how we might study medieval literature today, and how we find cultural value in this literature of the far past.
Module learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
- Engage confidently in close reading of medieval European literary texts, both poetry and prose
- Explore scholarly debates and discussions surrounding medieval European literature
- Communicate their critical opinions of medieval European literary texts in fluent and coherent academic prose
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of historical contexts surrounding the production and circulation of medieval European literature
Module content
Indicative content
Weeks 1 - 3, Reading Ancient Texts: An Introduction to Old English Poetry
These three seminars will introduce students to the basic skills needed to read and engage with ancient texts, guiding them through editions and translations, reading in historical context, and providing a foundation in tools of literary analysis.
- week 1 - Beowulf
- week 2 - The Exeter Riddles
- week 3 - The Ruin and Wulf and Eadwacer
Weeks 4 - 7, The Multi-Cultural Middle Ages: European Late-medieval Romance
Moving forward in time from Old English literature, these four seminars will guide students through a range of romance literature from the later Middle Ages from both England and France. Students will think about these texts in their historical trade contexts, in terms of multiculturalism and cultural exchange networks in Europe from the twelfth to late-fifteenth centuries.
- week 4 - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- week 5 - Havelok the Dane and Lai d'Aveloc
- week 6 - The Man of Law's Tale
- week 7 - Le Bone Florence of Rome
Weeks 8 - 10, Stepping North: Icelandic Sagas and Twentieth-century Medievalists
These two weeks introduce students to another fundamental genre of medieval literature canon, the Icelandic saga. Students will also be guided to think about the origins of studying medieval texts in the twentieth century and asking why we continue to study medieval texts.
- week 8 - Grettis Saga
- week 9 - Frithiofs Saga ins Fraekna
Week 11 - Going Forward: Contemporary Medievalisms
This final week of the module introduces students to the afterlives of medieval literature by engaging with a selection of contemporary poetry that reframes, revoices, and recontextualises some of the medieval texts we will have encountered during the course of the wider module.
- Caroline Bergvall
- Simon Armitage
- Will Harris
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
The tutor will give regular individual verbal and written feedback throughout the module on work submitted.
The assessment feedback is as per the university’s guidelines with regard to timings.
Indicative reading
Beowulf
The Exeter Riddles
The Ruin
Wulf and Eadwacer
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Havelok the Dane
The Man of Law's Tale
Le Bone Florence of Rome
Grettis Saga
Frithiof's Saga ins Fraekna