LIT 354/Middle English Literature – Spring 2021

LIT 354 – 01
1 course unit
Term: Spring 2021
Time: 2:00-3:20pm TF
Room: Bliss Annex 228
Prerequisites: None		 Prof. G. Steinberg
Office: Bliss 216
Office Phone: (609) 771-2106
Office Hours:  by appointment only (remote)
E-mail : gsteinbe@tcnj.edu

TEXTBOOKS:

    1. Four Romances of England, ed. Ronald B. Herzman, Graham Drake, and Eve Salisbury (1999), ISBN 9781580440172
    2. Four Middle English Romances, ed. Harriet Hudson, 2nd ed. (2006), ISBN 9781580441117
    3. The Middle English Breton Lays, ed. Anne Laskaya and Eve Salisbury (1995), ISBN 9781879288621
    4. King Arthur’s Death, ed. Larry D. Benson, rev. Edward E. Foster (1994), ISBN 9781879288386
    5. Sir Gawain, ed. Thomas Hahn (1995), ISBN 9781879288591
    6. the TEAMS web site: http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text-online (which provides glossed, online texts of various works of Middle English literature for free)
    7. the Middle English Compendium: http://library.pages.tcnj.edu/search-tools/databases-a-z/middle-english-compendium/ (which provides complete information from the Middle English Dictionary and allows searches for particular words within a number of Middle English texts)
    8. Middle English glossaries of common words (available under “Files” in Canvas)

COURSE DESCRIPTION.  The official catalogue description of the course is available in PAWS.

People often think of the Middle Ages as a very homogeneous time period – controlled by the monolithic Catholic Church, with no social mobility, ruled by arbitrary, all-powerful monarchs.  In fact, medieval English culture was very diverse.  This course is your chance to meet the wild and crazy, complex, conflicted culture that is medieval England.  Knights and ladies, monks and friars, peasants and merchants – they’re not really what you expect, but they’re definitely entertaining (at least as funny and outlandish as Monty Python and the Holy Grail).  We begin the semester by looking closely at one genre (romance) in order to examine the diversity of ways in which medieval English people of various stripes conceived of and used that genre, and then groups of students will choose other genres, authors, or traditions in order to select representative readings for their classmates (and explore the diversity of medieval English culture further).  Readings will all be in the original Middle English (but you quickly get used to it – even start dreaming in it sometimes).

When the College went through a curriculum revision several years ago, the vast majority of undergraduate courses were “transformed” from 3-credit to 4-credit (1-unit) learning experiences.  While most of the classes continued to meet for only 3 academic hours per week, it was understood that the “transformed” courses offered a depth of learning with additional learning tasks unfolding in the equivalent of a fourth hour, including, sometimes, an actual additional hour of class interaction.  As the equivalent of the fourth hour in this course,

F) students are assigned additional learning tasks that make the semester’s learning experience more deeply engaged and rigorous, and no other additional classroom space is needed.

GOALS.  In terms of my goals for this course, I want you to

      1. enjoy the richness, vitality, and strangeness of Middle English literature, as well as of medieval English society and culture,
      2. master the challenges of – and develop a healthy appreciation for – Middle English, and
      3. recognize, respect, and understand language diversity.

More officially, this course contributes to the following goals for the School of Humanities & Social Sciences and the English Department:

#1 Written Communication
#5 Critical Analysis and Reasoning:  Ability to critique the arguments of others in the discipline and the construction of one’s own arguments in the discipline, using data/evidence are a focus of instruction and/or the ability to analyze linguistic and cultural patterns
#7 Interpret Language and Symbol
#8 Intercultural Competence:  The development of understanding of other cultures and/or subcultures (practices, perspectives, behavior patterns, etc.)
#12 Students will be able to demonstrate familiarity with a range of critical, generic, and literary traditions (including recent theoretical approaches) that shape – and are shaped by – literary discourses and texts of particular periods or movements
#14 Students will be able to identify historically specific elements relevant to a particular text
#15 Students will be able to read a literary work and characterize its main aesthetic, structural, and rhetorical strategies in an argumentative, thesis-driven essay or in a writing workshop

REQUIREMENTS.  This course has the following graded assignments:

      1. 10 two-page response papers (together worth 20% of your final grade),
      2. a mid-term exam (15% of your final grade),
      3. PAPER 1 (15%),
      4. a group presentation in class (10%),
      5. PAPER 2 (20%), and
      6. a cumulative, comprehensive final exam (20%).

Your final grade will be based on the following scale:  A = 93%-100%, A- = 90%-92%, B+ = 87%-89%, B = 83%-86%, B- = 80%-82%, C+ = 77%-79%, C = 73%-76%, C- = 70%-72%, D+ = 67%-69%, D = 60%-66%, and F = below 60%.  This scale is absolute.  Because the response papers are in a sense a form of extra credit built into this course from the start, I do not give extra credit assignments at the end of the semester to help students raise their grade even a whisker.  So, even if, at the end of the semester, you are just .0001 points away from an A-, your final grade will be a B+.

PROFESSOR’S AVAILABILITY.  My office is Bliss Hall 216, but my office hours this term are by appointment and remote only.  You may contact me by email (gsteinbe@tcnj.edu) to arrange a virtual or phone “meeting.”  You may also call my office phone (609-771-2106) and leave a message (if I do not answer), but email is by far the best way to get in touch with me.

ATTENDANCE.  This course is being taught in a “flex” format (because of the coronavirus pandemic).  Students may “meet” synchronously online during the scheduled time for our class on each of the regular class days of the semester (unless otherwise noted in the course schedule below), or they may meet in person physically in the classroom.  For in-person attendance, instructions will be emailed to you before the first class meeting.  Whether attending in person or online, you are expected to attend all class meetings.  The links for joining the synchronous online class meetings are available in Canvas under “Zoom.”  If you have technology issues or needs during the semester, please contact the IT Helpdesk at (609) 771-2660 or helpdesk@tcnj.edu.

Please note: I am going to require you to keep your camera on for the class’s Zoom meetings.  If you have a good and pressing reason that you need to keep your camera off, let me know before class.  Otherwise, please keep your camera on.  It’s virtually impossible to have a vital discussion when only some people have their camera on.

In general, I will not take or record attendance for our class meetings, but regular attendance is a virtual necessity for successful completion of class. Class activities will constitute important, useful preparation for your graded work. If you miss a class, you will essentially lose out on that day’s contribution to your preparation, since it is never really possible to reproduce or recapture the dynamics and flow of a missed class meeting (even if you get notes from someone). If, however, you positively must miss a class, I expect you to find out what you missed and to come fully prepared – without excuses – to the next class meeting. For information on the College’s attendance policy, please go to https://policies.tcnj.edu/?p=77.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY.  Academic dishonesty is any attempt by a student to gain academic advantage through dishonest means, to submit, as his or her own, work which has not been done by him/her or to give improper aid to another student in the completion of an assignment. Such dishonesty would include, but is not limited to, submitting as his/her own a project, paper, report, test, or speech copied from, partially copied, or paraphrased from the work of another (whether the source is printed, under copyright, or in manuscript form). Credit must be given for words quoted or paraphrased. The rules apply to any academic dishonesty, whether the work is graded or ungraded, group or individual, written or oral. TCNJ’s academic integrity policy is available on the web at https://policies.tcnj.edu/?p=130.

ACCOMMODATIONS.  The College of New Jersey prohibits discrimination against any student on the basis of physical or mental disability or perceived disability. The College will also provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to enable students with disabilities to participate in the life of the campus community. If you require special accommodations, I will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your needs and to create an environment where your special abilities are respected. For more information, please go to https://policies.tcnj.edu/?p=145 and https://arc.tcnj.edu/.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. We are all enriched by greater diversity, and we all bring different perspectives to this class. I want to create a learning environment that supports diversity and honors your identities and perspectives (including your race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, mental and physical health, differing abilities, politics, etc.). If you go by a name and/or set of pronouns that differ from those that appear in your official records, please let me know. If you feel that your performance in class is being impacted by experiences related to your identity outside of class, please don’t hesitate to talk to me. If something is said or posted in class (by anyone, including me) that makes you feel uncomfortable, targeted, misunderstood, or disparaged as a person, please talk to me about it. I will expect our whole class (including me) to strive always to honor every form of diversity. To see TCNJ’s official diversity statement, please go to https://diversity.tcnj.edu/campus-diversity-statement/.

LANGUAGES ACROSS THE CURRICULUM. A ¼ unit (one credit) Languages Across the Curriculum independent study (LAC 391) may be added to this course for those students who have intermediate level proficiency in another language and who wish to complement the work in this course by utilizing their language skills. LAC 391 (P/U grading only) will be noted on the student’s transcript. Please contact Dr. Deborah Compte at dcompte@tcnj.edu for more information. Students must contact Dr. Compte to enroll in the LAC independent study by Monday, February 8, 2021.

FINAL EVALUATION.  As required by the College’s Final Exam/Evaluation Policy (https://policies.tcnj.edu/?p=266), this course has a final evaluation in the form of a final exam that is comprehensive and integrative in nature and counts for at least 15% and not more than 50% of your final grade.

RESPONSE PAPERS.  In the course of the term, you are required to write 10 short, informal papers (2 pages each) on the Middle English readings for class.  You may choose which readings you want to respond to, as long as you have completed 10 response papers by the end of the term. I strongly recommend that you complete nearly all your response papers before we get to the group presentations – you may submit response papers on your classmates’ assigned readings for their group presentation but not on your own group’s assignment.

You should write your response paper before the class meeting at which we discuss the reading assignment covered in your paper.  You should submit each response paper by “sharing” it with me as a Google Doc before class on the literary reading’s assigned day.  Be sure to grant me “editing” or “suggesting” status when you share the Google Doc with me (so that I can comment directly on the paper).

For each response paper, choose one of the following topics and analyze the reading assignment for the day with respect to the topic you’ve chosen:

      1. World View.  What kind of world does the text portray?  What are the fundamental elements or principles of the text’s fictive world?  Is the world a benevolent place or a dark, dangerous hell-hole without hope?  How does the text portray humanity?  What are the fundamental nature and characteristics of humanity in the text’s world?  Does the text seem to view/portray the world and humanity in a basically positive or a basically negative light?  How does the text’s portrayal of the world and humanity relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?
      2. Values.  What are the fundamental values of the text?  Does the text value hard work, honesty, wealth, breeding, loyalty, physical prowess/beauty, love, intelligence, humility, learning, action, duty, honor, (self-)discipline, individual freedom, and/or community?  How and where do the characters manifest such values?  How and where are they rewarded for following good values (or punished for following bad)?  How does the text define such values as duty, honor, love, and loyalty?  How do the text’s values relate to those of previous reading assignments in class?
      3. Gender.  How are men and women portrayed in the text?  What seems to be the attitude of the author toward men and women?  What are the characteristics of a good man in the text? a good woman? a bad man? a bad woman?  What does the text imply or say about what roles are appropriate for each gender?  How does the text’s treatment of gender relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?
      4. Religion.  How are religion and religious ideas portrayed in the text?  How Christian is the work in outlook, doctrine, and/or symbolism?  Does the text use Christian images?  Does it allude to Christian stories?  Does it espouse Christian values (with or without Christian images and stories)?  Does it reflect on or mention Christian doctrine?  How is organized religion portrayed?  How are Church figures (such as friars, monks, priests, and nuns) portrayed?  Is the text critical of the Church?  Is it critical of Christianity as an idea?  How does the text’s portrayal of religion relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?  Click here for a list of some of the most important types of Church figures in medieval England and some brief generalizations about them.
      5. Social Class.  How are members of different social classes portrayed in the text?  What seems to be the attitude of the author toward the king and royal court, the nobility, peasants, townspeople, the guilds, merchants, lawyers, clerks, and bureaucrats?  Does the author use, endorse, or undermine the stereotypes about particular social classes?  Does the author seem to identify with any particular social class or with the values of a particular class?  How does the text’s portrayal of social class relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?  Click here for a list of some of the most important social classes in medieval England and some brief generalizations about them.
      6. Form.  (NOTE:  You may only write on this topic when the reading assignment is in poetry.)  What kind of poetry is involved?  Does it rhyme and/or have stanzas (an imported Continental innovation)?  Does it alliterate (a native English tradition)?  Does it use both rhyme/stanzas and alliteration?  Does it use neither?  How long are the poetic lines (i.e., number of syllables or metric feet)?  Does the author use what we recognize as typical poetic techniques (e.g., metaphor, imagery, symbolism, syntactic inversion, rhythm, poetic diction, enjambment)?  How does the form relate to the form of previous reading assignments in class?
      7. Language.  What are the distinctive features of the language of the text?  Do not simply point to various random oddities in spelling or vocabulary.  Generalize.  What patterns of features characterize the text’s language?  Are there particular words that are foreign to you but that recur frequently?  Are there unusual grammatical forms that recur frequently (e.g., -and for -ing)?  Are there unusual spellings that recur frequently (perhaps suggesting patterns in pronunciation)?  What are the main elements that seem to characterize the dialect of the text?  How does the language of the text relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?
      8. Narrative.  What is the organizing principle or shape of the narrative?  Don’t simply summarize what happens in the story.  Tell me what seems to be the overall arc of the story’s organization.  How do the sections/divisions of the story relate to one another and to an overarching narrative principle?  What patterns are apparent?  Does the main story have a frame of some sort around it or an introduction that sets up the major themes and images of the story?  Are there any subplots?  Is there a cyclical pattern to the narrative?  Is there a climactic moment?  How does the narrative of today’s reading assignment relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?

Response papers will be graded Pass/Fail.  I ask you to type and double-space them (so that they are easier for me to read), but they need not be a perfect, polished product.  Rather, response papers should be just what their name says – a response.  Think about one of the topics above in relation to the Middle English work; then, write a response.  Don’t worry about answering every question under the topic.  In fact, focus on the one question that seems most interesting to you, and be as specific as you can, getting down as much as you can, as quickly as you can.  Treat response papers more like a journal entry than like a formal paper.  I don’t want a five-paragraph theme.  Rather, I want an exploration – as detailed and specific as possible – of the reading assignment for the day.  But don’t focus too narrowly on just one scene or passage from the text.  Try to generalize about the text and then look at specific examples from all over to support your generalization.  Normally, as long as you submit a response paper of suitable length, detail, and thoughtfulness (and as long as you submit it before class on the day of the reading assignment), you will receive all the points that the response paper is worth (i.e., 100% = A++).

The purpose of the response papers is

      1. to verify that you are doing the readings for class,
      2. to help you in your preparation for class discussion,
      3. to help me see where you’re struggling with the readings for class,
      4. to help you develop your intellectual independence and your confidence as a reader of Middle English,
      5. to help you explore the relationships among the Middle English texts we’re reading, and
      6. to practice literary and linguistic analysis on Middle English texts.

You may submit more than 10 response papers in the course of the semester (to make up for any response papers that do not receive a grade of Pass), but no matter how many extra response papers you submit, you will not receive credit for more than 10.  You may not submit more than one response paper for a single class meeting, nor may you submit a response paper for a day that you are absent from class – absolutely no exceptions. (NOTE: Even if you do not submit a response paper on a particular day, you should still come to class prepared to discuss the response paper topics in relation to the reading assignment, since we will focus on these topics in our in-class discussions all semester; in other words, the response paper topics above are a great guide for your class prep every day.)

PAPER 1.  Read Sir Eglamour of Artois (c. 1350) or the Erle of Toulous (c. 1350).  How does the tale compare to the romances that we have read in class?  Choose one romance from the first half of class with which to compare Sir Eglamour of Artois or the Erle of Toulous, and choose one aspect (e.g., world view, values, gender, religion, narrative, or social class) as a basis of comparison.  Write a paper of 4-6 pages in which you argue a clear, specific thesis about how Sir Eglamour of Artois or the Erle of Toulous relates to the romance tradition as represented by the romance from class that you have chosen for comparison.  In what way is Sir Eglamour of Artois or the Erle of Toulous typical or atypical of the Middle English romance tradition with respect to world view, values, gender, religion, narrative, or social class?  Note:  You need not use outside sources for this paper (that is, sources other than the texts of Sir Eglamour of Artois or the Erle of Toulous and a romance from class); in fact, I would encourage you not to use outside sources (because I’d rather hear what you think than what some published scholar thinks), but if you do use any outside sources, you must cite them appropriately.  Hint:  When writing a comparative paper, talking about the similarities between similar texts or the differences between different ones isn’t very interesting; it’s much, much more interesting to talk about the similarities between very different texts or the differences between very similar ones.

Your paper will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

      1. Does the paper have a clear and specific thesis?  Does the thesis offer an interesting perspective or “hook” that is provocative without being gimmicky or offensive?  Does the paper focus on texts that highlight an interesting and illuminating feature of the texts discussed?
      2. Does the paper’s analysis progress logically, with a clear, consistent focus?  Does the paper have a coherent overall organization that relates all the ideas of the paper together in support of the thesis (rather than simply providing a list of random observations without relation to one another or to the thesis)?  Does the paper have appropriate transitions to aid the reader in seeing and following the logic of the paper (rather than weak transitions, such as “The first…,” “Another…,” and “Also…”)?
      3. Does the paper provide relevant, concrete evidence (including brief quotations) and logically persuasive reasons for every assertion?
      4. Does the paper show sensitivity to the concrete historicity of the literary works under consideration (rather than treat them as timeless museum pieces or reflect on them anachronistically)?
      5. Does the paper exhibit confidence and insight when analyzing literary works or passages not discussed in class?
      6. Does the introduction to the paper offer an interesting, helpful preview of the content, logic, and organization of the paper?
      7. Is factual information in the paper accurate?
      8. Is the writing in the paper clear, effective, interesting, and appropriate to an academic setting?

GROUP PRESENTATION.  About halfway through the semester, you will sign up for a group presentation.  I will assign each group to lead class discussion for one class meeting in the last few weeks of the semester (on a date chosen by me).  I will also assign each group, as the topic of their presentation, a literary genre, work, or author from the Middle Ages (e.g., Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower, the Pearl-poet, The Cloud of Unknowing, Margery Kempe, Piers Plowman, love lyrics, dream visions, or saints’ lives).  Using the TEAMS web site at http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text-online and other sources (e.g., the library’s holdings on medieval English literature), the groups will research and read their assigned genre/work/author, deciding which text(s) seem most important for their classmates to read.  Based on their research and reading, the groups will assign one or more readings to their classmates for the class meeting on which they will lead class discussion.  They will send the assignment(s) to their classmates via Canvas at least one week before leading class.  On the group’s assigned day, I recommend that the group spend around 15 minutes on background about their genre/work/author and spend the rest of classtime facilitating substantive discussion about the day’s assignment with their classmates.

Each person in the group will be graded individually according to the following criteria:

      1. Did your group make logical, interesting choices in terms of the reading assignment for class?
      2. Did you yourself contribute meaningfully to the group’s activities in class?
      3. Did your group think creatively about how to engage classmates in discussion?
      4. Was the discussion substantive (rather than superficial)?  Did you engage your classmates in a serious exploration of topics relevant to the reading(s)?  Did you engage your classmates in a serious exploration of topics relevant to the course overall?
      5. Did you look closely and carefully at specific passages and concrete details (rather than simply generalize broadly or talk abstractly)?
      6. Did your group effectively integrate each individual group member’s contribution into a coherent overall presentation?  Did the group share the overall organization of their presentation with their classmates at the start?

PAPER 2.  Your PAPER 2 is linked to your group presentation and is due in Canvas exactly two weeks after your group has led class discussion.  For PAPER 2, choose one of the romances that we discussed in class this semester.  You may not write about any of the same texts for PAPER 2 as you did for PAPER 1.  Write a paper of 4-6 pages in which you argue a clear, specific thesis about how your group’s reading assignment relates to the romance from class that you’ve chosen for comparison.  You might consider choosing a romance from class that was written at roughly the same time as your group’s reading or a romance that exhibits similar values or a similar social agenda.  Alternatively, you might choose a romance from class that is very different (in time, values, and/or social agenda) from your group’s reading assignment.  Note:  You need not use outside sources for this paper (that is, sources other than the texts of your group’s assignment and a romance from class); in fact, I would encourage you not to use outside sources (because I’d rather hear what you think than what some published scholar thinks), but if you do use any outside sources, you must cite them appropriately.  Hint:  When writing a comparative paper, talking about the similarities between similar texts or the differences between different ones isn’t very interesting; it’s much, much more interesting to talk about the similarities between very different texts or the differences between very similar ones.

PAPER 2 will be evaluated according to the same criteria as PAPER 1.

COURSE SCHEDULE.  This schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the professor. Changes in the schedule made after the start of the semester will be in red.  The assignments below represent the bare minimum that you should read.  When no selections are specified, you are expected to read the whole of the text assigned.  All titles in the course schedule below can be found in one or another of the required textbooks for class (unless otherwise indicated).

Date Assignment
T Feb 2 Introductions
F Feb 5 King Horn (c. 1225)
T Feb 9 Havelock the Dane (c. 1290), lines 1-1445
F Feb 12 Havelock the Dane (c. 1290), lines 1446-3001
T Feb 16 Sir Orfeo (c. 1300) and Sir Isumbras (c. 1320)
F Feb 19 Bevis of Hampton (c. 1324), lines 1-1694
T Feb 23 Bevis of Hampton (c. 1324), lines 1695-3116
F Feb 26 Bevis of Hampton (c. 1324), lines 3117-4621
T Mar 2 Sir Degaré (c. 1330)
F Mar 5 King of Tars (c. 1350) – available free online at https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/chandler-the-king-of-tars
T Mar 9 Octavian (c. 1350)
F Mar 12 OPTIONAL CLASS (MID-TERM EXAM DUE before midnight)
I will be available via Zoom during our regular meeting time for anyone who wants to stop in to ask a question.
T Mar 16 Stanzaic Morte Arthur (c. 1350), lines 1-1466
F Mar 19 Stanzaic Morte Arthur (c. 1350), lines 1467-2769
T Mar 23 Stanzaic Morte Arthur (c. 1350), lines 2770-3970
F Mar 26 OPTIONAL CLASS (PAPER 1 due in Canvas by midnight)
I will be available via Zoom during our regular meeting time for anyone who wants to stop in to ask a question.
T Mar 30 NO CLASS
F Apr 2 NO CLASS (Recharge Day and Good Friday)
T Apr 6 Emaré (c. 1380) and Sir Launfal (c. 1381)
SIGNUP FOR GROUP PRESENTATIONS
F Apr 9 Alliterative Morte Arthure (c. 1400), lines 1-1438
T Apr 13 Alliterative Morte Arthure (c. 1400), lines 3176-4346
F Apr 16  Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle (c. 1400) and The Avowyng of Arthur (c. 1400)
T Apr 20 Sir Cleges (c. 1425) and The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle (c. 1450)
F Apr 23 The Awntyrs off Arthur (c. 1475) and Sir Gowther (c. 1480)
T Apr 27 GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Group 1
F Apr 30 GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Group 2
T May 4 GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Group 3
F May 7 GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Group 4
FINAL EXAM PERIOD FINAL EXAM