THE MEDIEVAL VERSION

The history of literature is in many ways a history of rewriting. Just as medieval writers sought inspiration in antiquity, so have writers since the Middle Ages recycled its stories and aesthetics for their own cultural moment. This course thus asks questions such as: what distinguishes “the medieval version” from antique precedents, and what can we learn about medieval culture from the juxtaposition of source and adaptation? In turn, what imaginative possibilities did the medieval world hold for later writers? Readings will range from Ovid to Chaucer, from Malory to Kazuo Ishiguro. We will focus on narratives in prose and verse. This course has a robust reading list, and since we are meeting in a compressed form, you should plan on reading approximately two hours per day to keep up with the assignments.