Medieval Literature

English

This course focuses on the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, particularly The Canterbury Tales, but may also include scholarly essays and various other shorter works from the latter Middle Ages for comparison purposes. The Canterbury Tales is a frame-tale narrative. Chaucer's tale begins at an inn in the disreputable outskirts of London in what St. Augustine would recognize as a city of man and ends in one of England' s holiest shrines, Canterbury Cathedral, an earthly reflection of the city of God. This connection to the journey of salvation frames our presentation of a collection of Chaucer's shorter tales - the tales told during a story-telling competition among a diverse group of travelers on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. Our reading focuses on Chaucer's apparent critique of what might be called the pseudo-piety of many of his storytellers and the corruption in the medieval church coupled with his surreptitious affirmation of humanity's need for the redemption offered through Christ' s death and resurrection. Honors: This course may be taken as a regular or honors course.

0 reviews