Admission requirements
None.
Description
This course is devoted to handwritten books made in England prior to the introduction of the printing press. Examined will be manuscripts with literature written in Latin and the vernacular languages of England, including Anglo-Saxon and Middle English. The course presents a tour along canonical texts and lesser-known works but is primarily interested in the books in which these texts were fitted, such as the Beowulf codex and manuscripts with the Canterbury Tales. The course asks what these manuscripts looked like; how their physical format may reflect the wishes of readers and the circumstances under which the manuscripts were used; and it examines the main centers where such books were made, namely the monasteries, some educational institutions and the city of London.
Course objectives
To introduce students to the vehicle of texts prior to the invention of the printing press (the manuscript);
To provide an overview of the various kinds of manuscripts in which literature written in England survives;
To prepare students for including the manuscript dynamic in their research of English literature.
Timetable
The timetable will be available by June 1st at www.hum.leidenuniv.nl/engels.
Mode of instruction
Two-hour seminar per week.
Assessment method
Essay: 50%
Essay Outline: 15%
Class participation: 25%
Discussion questions: 10%
Blackboard
This course is supported by Blackboard.
Reading list
Christopher de Hamel, Scribes and Illuminators (Medieval Craftsmen). Any edition. (London: British Museum Press, 1992 or Toronto: UTP, 1992).
Registration
Students should register through uSis.
Contact information
Departmental Office English Language and Culture, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 102C. Tel. 071 5272144; mail: english@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
Coordinator of Studies Master: Ms. K. van der Zeeuw-Filemon, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 103C.
Remarks
This is a new course.