Since the beginnings of England there has been a great fascination with the East: the Sutton Hoo burial treasures (ca. 610) included objects from as far away as Byzantium and Egypt. In literature, too, the Orient figured prominently. Not only as the land of the Bible, but also as the source for precious commodities such as spices, gems and luxury textiles.
The absence of (f)actual knowledge helped create the notion of the Orient as a never-never land where anything was possible, varying from inaccessible deserts, insurmountable mountains and lost paradises to the abode of curious animals like griffins, ants as big as camels and humanoids with dog’s heads or with eyes and mouths in their breast. Moreover, the Orient was associated with decadence (de luxe brothels for the Anglo-Saxons, enviably large harems for the later period). In this course we will study the ways in which the Orient was represented in Old and Middle English literature, including Old English accounts from the East, the first OE prose novel, Apollonius of Tyre, Middle English travel literature (including pilgrimages to Jerusalem) and crusader and chivalric romances situated in the East.
Rooster
Onderwijsvorm
Two-hour tutorial per week.
A la carte- en contractonderwijs
Not available as modular course or a la carte.
Leerdoelen
This course builds upon experience acquired as part of a BA curriculum in Old and Middle English language and culture. The students will extend their insights into OE and ME literature and develop research skills which they can apply to the course subject. At the end of the course, the students will be able to carry out a small-scale research problem by independently reading and interpreting relevant primary and secondary literature; they have gained the ability to present their research results both orally and in written form. Following the completion of the course, students will be well equipped to write their MA thesis on a topic in English philology.
Literatuur
*Andy Orchard, Pride and Prodigies: A Study in the Monsters of the Beowulf Manuscript (Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 1995; rev.ed. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press, 2003). *_The Travels of Sir John Mandeville_, trans. C.W.R.D. Moseley (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1983). *_Apollonius of Tyre_, ed. B. Thorpe (internet). *_The Book of Margery Kempe_, trans. and ed. Lynn Staley (NY & London: Norton Books, 2001) or internet version. *_The Sultan of Babylon, in Three Middle English Charlemagne Romances_, ed. Alan Lupack (Kalamazoo: TEAMS, 1990) (also available from internet). *Reader/Blackboard with sundry texts
Toetsing
Presentation and participation (20%), final essay (80%).
The extension will be assessed by an “open question” written examination.
Informatie
English Department, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 102c, Tel. 071-5272144. English@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Blackboard/webpagina
This course is supported by Blackboard.