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Academic Year 2002/2003


Medieval Love: Desire in Language
COL 286 SP

Crosslistings:
WMST 286
FIST 237
MDST 286

Love in the Middle Ages was both a private experience and a public contest whose players were Social Status, Religious Obligation and Sexual Desire. We investigate the development of this contest in its classical period by concentrating primarily, but not exclusively, on the literature of French-speaking countries in the 12th and 13th centuries. In addition to primary-source readings (in translation), we consider the perspectives of cultural and literary historians such as Marc Bloch, Georges Duby, and Joan Ferrante, and of critical theorists such as Jacques Lacan and Julia Kristeva.

MAJOR READINGS

Abelard and Heloise, THE LETTERS OF ABELARD AND HELOISE
Bernard of Clairvaux, ON THE SONG OF SONGS
Guillaume IX, Jaufre Rudel, Bernard de Ventadorn, LYRICS OF THE MALE TROUBADOURS
Tibors, Countess of Dia, Castelloza, THE WOMEN TROUBADOURS
Chretien de Troyes, ARTHURIAN ROMANCES: LANCELOT
Marie de France, THE LAIS OF MARIE DE FRANCE
Andreas Capellanus, THE ART OF COURTLY LOVE
Gottfried von Strassborg, TRISTAN

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Thoughtful preparation, dedicated participation in class discussion, two interpretive essays and one creative project.

Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA COL    Grading Mode: Student Option   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-18-2003


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