Introductory description

From quarrelling birds to a London poet’s account of mental illness and a father’s conversation with his dead child in heaven, this module aims to deepen students’ appreciation of poetry, prose, and drama 1100-1500. Building on their first-year introductory module, EN121 Medieval and Early Modern Literature, students will expand their knowledge of medieval literature in a range of modes including romance, lyric and ‘autobiographical’ poems, saints’ lives, animal fables, and dream visions. Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which the texts engage with the social, political, and religious anxieties and controversies of the period. Major works studied include the writings of the Gawain-poet, William Langland’s poem of social and spiritual inquiry, Piers Plowman, and Thomas Malory’s English version of the Arthurian legend, written from prison during the Wars of the Roses at the close of the Middle Ages.

Module web page

Module aims

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.

Major works studied include the writings of the Gawain-poet, William Langland’s poem of social and spiritual inquiry, Piers Plowman, and Thomas Malory’s English version of the Arthurian legend, written from prison during the Wars of the Roses at the close of the Middle Ages.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a broad understanding of some of the major literary genres and modes of Middle English writing; of different dialects and historical varieties of Middle English; and of key concepts in the historical context of the works studied
• Apply their knowledge of historical contexts and genres to independent reading and analysis of texts
• Use a range of techniques in order to analyse literary texts including close reading of primary texts, critical reading of secondary materials, carrying out searches for appropriate scholarly materials relevant to the materials studied on the course
• Effectively and accurately communicate arguments and analysis in response to essay questions provided by module tutor

Indicative reading list

Primary
Croxton Play of the Sacrament, ed. by John T. Sebastian (2012)
Robert Henryson, The Poems, ed. by Robert L. Kendrick (1997)
Thomas Hoccleve, ‘My Compleinte’ and Other Poems, ed. by Roger Ellis (2001)
William Langland, Piers Plowman, ed. by Elizabeth Robertson and Stephen Shepherd (2006)
Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur: The Winchester Manuscript, ed. by Helen Cooper (2008)
Old and Middle English c. 890-c.1450: An Anthology, ed. by Elaine Treharne, 3rd edn (2010)
Poems of the Pearl Manuscript, ed. by Malcolm Andrew and Ronald Waldron (2016)
The York Corpus Christi Plays, ed. by Clifford Davidson (2011)

Secondary
Sarah Beckwith, Signifying God: Social Relations and Symbolic Acts in the York Corpus Christi Cycle (2001)
D. S. Brewer and Jonathan Gibson, eds, A Companion to the Gawain-Poet (1997)
Thomas G. Duncan, A Companion to the Middle English Lyric (2005)
Jennifer Nuttall and David Watt eds., Thomas Hoccleve: New Approaches (2022)
Larry Scanlon, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Literature 1100-1500 (2009)
Anne Thompson, Everyday Saints and the Art of Narrative in the South English Legendary (2003)
Thorlac Turville-Petre, Description and Narrative in Middle English Alliterative Poetry (2018)
David Wallace, ed., The Cambridge History of Medieval English Literature (1999)
Sarah Wood, Piers Plowman and its Manuscript Tradition (2022)

Research element

Independent research for essays.

Subject specific skills

Knowledge and understanding of some of the major literary genres and modes of Middle English writing; of different dialects and historical varieties of Middle English; and of key concepts in the historical context of the works studied

Transferable skills

Analytical skills; research skills; skills in communicating ideas and arguments