SoSe 13: Medieval English Literatures: The Literary Language of Later Medieval English Poetry
Klaus Dietz
Comments
Later Middle English poets like Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower or William Langland created individual poetic styles which differed from each other not only as to form but also relating to language and speech. The course will begin with a survey of late Middle English language and literature. It will concentrate on select passages from Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, from John Gower's Confessio Amantis, from William Langland's Piers Plowman and from the Pearl Poet. If time allows, an example of the Alliterative Revival, for instance St Erkenwald, will be included. The discussion will centre on differences of language and style.
Each participant will receive a detailed bibliography of the relevant literature which will be commented on at the beginning of the course. Recommended: J. A. Burrow and T. Turville-Petre, A Book of Middle English, 3rd ed. (Malden, MA: Blackwell 2005).
close13 Class schedule
Regular appointments