Admission requirements
A relevant BA degree, with a good working knowledge of Middle English, as well as an elementary knowledge of medieval culture.
Description
In Chaucer’s days, the English church experienced a deep depression. There were two popes each claiming to be the right one which resulted in a vacuum of power. The clergy did not particularly shine through an exemplary life-style and were losing respect (think of the Canterbury Tales and Piers Plowman). The plague had disrupted the social fabric. This situation caused the rise of all kinds of counter-movements: mysticism (in which also women like Margery Kemp and Julian of Norwich found a place), Lollardy (inspired by John Wyclif), and social protest (culminating in the Peasants’ Revolt of 1385). With the help of a number of texts (literary, political as well as devotional) we will see how much was wrong and what effect this situation had on society and literature.
Course objectives
The student will acquire:
A thorough knowledge of the socio-religious situation in late medieval England.
Familiarity with the current methodological approaches to the subject
Skills in carrying out and presenting small-scale research into primary sources related to the theme
Successful completion of the course will enable students to write a master’s thesis on one of the topic treated in the course.
Timetable
Tuesday 17.15-18.45
The timetable will be available by July 1st on the website.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Assessment method
Active course participation, including a presentation (25%), and a written essay (75%).
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used to provide students with additional information/reading material
Reading list
James Dean, ed., Six Ecclesiastical Satires (Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 1991)
James Dean, ed., Medieval English Political Writings (Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 1996)
Lynn Staley, ed., The Book of Margery Kemp (Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 1996)
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, rev. ed. A.C. Cowley (London: Dent, 1990) [Those who have the Riverside Chaucer do not need Cowley]
Maurice Keen, English Society in the Later Middle Ages 1348–1500 (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1990).
Further background material will be distributed through Blackboard
Registration
Students should register through uSis. Exchange students cannot register through uSis, but must see the director of studies and register with her. If you have any questions, please contact the departmental office, tel. 071 5272144 or mail: english@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
Exchange and Study Abroad students, please see the Study in Leiden website for information on how to apply
Contact information
Departmental Office English Language and Culture, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 102C. Tel. 071 5272144; or mail english@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
Studentcounsellor Bachelor: Ms T.D. Obbens, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 103B.
Coordinator of Studies Master: Ms T.D. Obbens, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 103B.