Document Type
Syllabus
Publication Date
Fall 9-1-2024
Course Description
Political intrigue, the Black Death, giants, plagues of the undead, penis trees, human sacrifice, werewolves, magic spells—these are the scandalous, the surprising, the utterly bizarre... and the completely historical. This class will explore a range of real texts from the global Middle Ages (roughly 500 CE to 1500 CE), all of which record weird and fantastical tales. We'll be reading about ancient Irish curses, as well as Italian ghosts, untranslatable Austrian manuscripts, and a French dog that was granted sainthood by the Catholic church. Readings will include selections from the Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge, M.R. James' collection of European ghost stories, the travel narratives of Arabic diplomat Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, and the Arthurian narratives of the Welsh Mabignogian.
Recommended Citation
Reading, Amity, "ENG 255B(W)/WLIT 215A Medieval Tabloid Reading Fall 2024" (2024). All Course Syllabi. 678, Scholarly and Creative Work from DePauw University.
https://scholarship.depauw.edu/records_syllabi/678
Student Outcomes
By the end of the semester, students will be able to: 1. Read and understand texts from a variety of literary genres, time periods, cultures, and/or regions. 2. Understand and use basic literary critical terms. 3. Articulate their own ideas about literature, both verbally and in writing. 4. Understand and describe the shared characteristics of literature produced within a specific literary category (e.g., time period, nationality, race, gender, ethnicity, culture, language group, genre, etc.). In our case, this will be the global Middle Ages.