English 330, Spring 2003, SYLLABUS VIEW
Weekly Schedule and Assignments
Week 1 (1/31): Meet in VM B11. Course introduction, fast lesson in Middle English pronunciation and reading, Chaucer's life and culture, and the role of manuscripts, books, and editors in the invention of the Canterbury Tales. Read: RC "Introduction" first 11 pages (xv-xxvi) for a short biography of Chaucer, and these three short lyrics to practice your Middle English skills: "Truth: Balade de Bon Consul" (653), "Gentilesse: Moral Balade of Chaucier" (654), and Lak of Stedfastnesse" (654). [NEW FOR 2003, I have added dedicated page links to "Gentilesse" and "Lak" to replace the somewhat haphazard links which previously occupied that space--if you have only looked at the others, please consult these.] For critical studies of Chaucer's shorter lyrics, including these, click here. Before our first class, please take some time to think about the difference between works of literature as we now know them, commodities we purchase in authoritative editions printed by commercial publishers, and the literature of Chaucer's era, which circulated in manuscripts before moveable type printing made books and literature into commodities. Cruise the links on this page for some assistance.
Week 2 (2/7): Canterbury Tales "General Prologue" (853 ll.). Tues. 2/4, Wed. 2/5, Thurs. 2/6, and Fri. 2/7 conferences available.
Click here for help understanding how to pronounce Middle English vowels and consonants.
For a sample quiz on the "General Prologue," and a link to the
answers and rationales for the questions, click
here.
Week 3 (2/14): "Knight's Tale" Parts 1 and 2 (859-1880 [1021 ll.])
Week 4 (2/21): "Knight's Tale" Parts 3 and 4 (1881-3108 [1217 ll.]) Annotated bibliography #1 DUE.
Week 5 (2/28): "Miller's Tale," "Reeve's Tale," "Cook's Fragment" (1314 ll.) Annotated bibliography #2 DUE.
Week 6 (3/7): "Man of Law's Prologue, Tale, and Endlink" (1190 ll.) BIB. HOLIDAY: NO ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY DUE!
Spring Break, Saturday, 3/8 through Sunday, 3/17
Week 7 (3/21): "Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale," "Shipman's Tale" (1716 ll.) BIB. HOLIDAY: NO ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY DUE! MIDTERM PAPER DUE BY Friday, 3/21, at 5 P.M. (You can turn it in earlier, but please don't delay it.
Week 8 (3/28 "Friar's Prologue and Tale," "Summoner's Prologue and Tale" (1030 ll.) BIB. HOLIDAY: NO ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY DUE!
Week 9 (4/4): ): "Clerk's Prologue and Tale" (1212 ll.) and "Merchant's Prologue and Tale" (1228 ll.) BIB. #3 DUE..
Week 10 (4/11): "Squire's Tale," "Franklin's Prologue and Tale," "Physician's Tale," (1624 ll.) BIB. #4 DUE.
Week 11 11 (4/18): "Pardoner's Prologue and Tale," "Prioress' Tale," "Rime of Sir Thopas," "Tale of Melibee" (1536 ll.) (968 ll.) BIB. HOLIDAY: NO ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY DUE!
Week 12 (4/25): "Monk's Prologue and Tale," "Nuns' Priest's Prologue and Tale" (1584 ll.) BIB. #5 DUE--end of the annotated bibliography project. Before you write your final paper, take time to scan the articles annotated by the rest of the seminar. Remember that they each offer you five more possible sources of information and potential analytical approaches which you might use to structure your own paper.
Week 13 (5/2) "Second Nun's Prologue and Tale," "Canon's Yeoman's Prologue and Tale," "Manciple's Prologue and Tale," and "Chaucer's Retraction" (1843 ll. plus the prose paragraph of the "Retraction"). Arnie will cover "Parson's Prologue and Tale" but please read the web page to get an idea of how to account for this sermon's presence at the end of all complete MSS of the Canterbury Tales (1458 ll.). Because this also will be our last class, I will distribute course evaluations, though we probably won't have time to fill them out in class. Because the seminar is small this year, I hope we can make other arrangements to confound the new college calendar which has robbed us of a full three-hour seminar meeting.