Medieval Studies
Term 2
MWF, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
This course will introduce the rich array of writing by women of the high and later Middle Ages. We will focus on Heloise (and Abelard); Marie de France; Margery Kempe; Christine de Pizan; and the women of the Paston family. Because the works we will read include both traditional genres (lyric, dream-vision, brief romance) and less canonical kinds (letters, mystical and devotional writing, political treatise), we will consider the definition of ‘literature’ and questions of canonicity. Our approach will frequently be interdisciplinary, as we will explore the historical circumstances in which these women lived, read, and wrote, and will make comparisons with other aspects of medieval culture, such as the visual arts. Texts will be in modern English translation or in modern-spelling late Middle English, which you will be able to read without any special expertise or instruction.
