EN121-30 Medieval and Early Modern Literature
Introductory description
This module will study a number of works of medieval and early modern literature in the context of contemporary beliefs and historical and social developments. The module will be taught by means of language classes (first term only) to introduce students to Middle English; lectures on the historical, cultural and critical context; and seminars to discuss particular texts.
Module aims
This module will study a number of works of medieval and early modern literature in the context of contemporary beliefs and historical and social developments. The module will be taught by means of language classes (first term only) to introduce students to Middle English; lectures on the historical, cultural and critical context; and seminars to discuss particular texts.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Term 1
Week 1 Introduction to the medieval period
Week 2 Chaucer, The Miller's Tale and The Reeve's Tale
Week 3 Chaucer, The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
Week 4 Chaucer, The Merchant's Prologue and Tale
Week 5 Chaucer, The Pardoner's Tale
Term 2
Week 1 Introduction to the Renaissance and Reformation
Week 2 Thomas More, Utopia
Week 3 The wider world
Week 4 Philip Sidney, The Defence of Poesy
Week 5 Philip Sidney, Astrophil and Stella
Week 7 Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, bk 1 cantos 1-6
Week 8 Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, bk 1 cantos 7-12
Week 9 Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis
Week 10 Marlowe, Dr Faustus
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- By the end of this module you should have: 1. Acquired skill in reading Middle English and knowledge of the structure and history of the English language;
- 2. Acquired some knowledge of Medieval English literature (especially the work of Chaucer and his contemporaries), society and culture;
- 3. Developed awareness of the forms and metres of English poetry;
- 4. Obtained some knowledge of sixteenth-century English poetry, drama and prose and its intellectual and social context;
- 5. Improved your skills in textual analysis and essay-writing.
Indicative reading list
Andrew and Waldron (ed.) Poems of the Pearl Manuscript (Exeter)
L. D. Benson (ed.) The Riverside Chaucer (Oxford)
S. Greenblatt et al. (ed.) The Norton Anthology of English Literature. The Sixteenth Century and Early Seventeenth Century. Volume B (rev. 10th edition, Norton, 2018)
D. Aers, Community, Gender and Individual Identity: English Writing 1360-1430 (1988)
J.A. Burrow, Medieval Writers and their Work 2nd edn (Oxford, 2008)
Maurice Keen, English Society in the Later Middle Ages 1348-1500 (Penguin, 1990)
Jerry Brotton, The Renaissance: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2006)
S.J. Greenblatt, Renaissance Self-Fashioning: From More to Shakespeare, 1980
Peter Marshall, The Reformation: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2009)
J. Guy, Tudor England (Oxford, 1988)
View reading list on Talis Aspire
Subject specific skills
Show skill in reading Middle English and some understanding of the structure and history of the English language
Demonstrate some knowledge of Medieval English literature (especially the work of Chaucer and his contemporaries), society and culture
Show awareness of the forms and metres of English poetry
Demonstrate some knowledge of early modern literature and its intellectual and social context
Transferable skills
Essay writing and research skills
Study time
Type | Required |
---|---|
Lectures | 18 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
Seminars | 17 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
Other activity | 4 hours (1%) |
Private study | 261 hours (87%) |
Total | 300 hours |
Private study description
Reading primary texts and recommended further reading from the module reading list; researching and writing essays.
Other activity description
Language and commentary classes (weeks 2-5 term 1 only)
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A3
Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
---|---|---|---|
Portfolio | 50% | Yes (extension) | |
Portfolio comprising a) 800-word commentary on a passage from one of the set texts and b) 1800 word essay. The mark for the portfolio is made up of the weighted average mark of the commentary (40% of the final mark) and the essay (60% of the final mark). |
|||
Essay | 50% | Yes (extension) | |
Essay of 2000 words |
Feedback on assessment
Written feedback on essays and optional consultation with tutor during office hours.
Post-requisite modules
If you pass this module, you can take:
- EN3J1-15 Women and Writing, 1150-1450
- EN2J1-15 Women and Writing, 1150-1450
Courses
This module is Core for:
- Year 1 of UENA-Q300 Undergraduate English Literature
- Year 1 of UENA-QP36 Undergraduate English Literature and Creative Writing
- Year 1 of UTHA-QW34 Undergraduate English and Theatre Studies
This module is Core optional for:
- Year 1 of UFRA-QR3A Undergraduate English and French
- Year 1 of UHPA-QR34 Undergraduate English and Hispanic Studies
- Year 1 of UENA-VQ32 Undergraduate English and History
- Year 1 of UPHA-VQ72 Undergraduate Philosophy and Literature
This module is Optional for:
- Year 1 of UENA-VQ32 Undergraduate English and History
- Year 1 of UPHA-VQ72 Undergraduate Philosophy and Literature
This module is Core option list A for:
- Year 1 of ULNA-QR37 Undergraduate English and German
- Year 1 of ULNA-QR38 Undergraduate English and Italian
- Year 1 of UPHA-VQ52 Undergraduate Philosophy, Literature and Classics