17329
Proseminar
SoSe 21: PS-Medieval English Literatures: "Elves and Fairies in Medieval British Literature"
Jan-Peer Hartmann
Comments
In contemporary popular culture, elves and fairies are usually depicted as tiny humanoid beings (often female) with wands and wings, such as Peter Pan’s Tinker Bell or Cicely Mary Barker’s flower fairies, and are associated with magic and whimsy. In his essay ‘On Fairy Stories’, J.R.R. Tolkien blamed Renaissance writers William Shakespeare and Michael Drayton for these clichés. But what, then, are their medieval counterparts like? What is their literary function, what cultural stereotypes do they represent? In this class, we will read a number of Old and Middle English texts, from medical charms to romance, that deal with different kinds of elves and fairies. Students should be willing to encounter medieval texts without preconceived notions of ‘the Middle Ages’ and to read them in the original language. close
14 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Wed, 2021-04-14 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-04-21 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-04-28 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-05-05 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-05-12 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-05-19 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-05-26 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-06-02 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-06-09 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-06-16 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-06-23 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-06-30 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-07-07 14:15 - 15:45
Wed, 2021-07-14 14:15 - 15:45