Medieval Translation and the Vernacular

What was the role of translation within medieval literary culture? How did translations among vernacular and cosmopolitan languages contribute to establishing those categories? This graduate seminar will marshal translation theory and practice, medieval and modern, to investigate language use and translation in the medieval West. With reference to current debates in the field, we will ask what ideas about translation and translations themselves can tell us about the multilingual ecosystem of Europe from the twelfth to the fourteenth century. We’ll read some of the most well-known works of medieval literature as well as more obscure texts. Though the course centers on medieval literature in English, French, and Latin, it also aims to instill the critical skills of literary criticism: debate, comparison, and keen-eyed evaluation of others’ arguments, both in class discussions and written assignments. Students will be invited to write a final paper that connects the investigations of the course to their own areas of interest.

Reading knowledge of (Old) French, Latin, and Middle English will come in handy, as will any other foreign language competencies – but these are not prerequisites.