Module 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 lectures on the historical, cultural and critical context; seminars to discuss particular texts; and (in weeks 2-5 of term 1 only) supplementary classes to help develop your skills in reading texts written in earlier forms of English.Works studied include: The Canterbury Tales; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; The Book of Margery Kempe; travel writing; poems by Sidney, Spenser, and Mary Wroth; and medieval and early modern drama.

Teaching methods

• Weekly lectures in terms 1 and 2
• Weekly seminars in terms 1 and 2
• Reading classes on extracts from the Middle English set texts, weeks 2-5 of term 1 only
• Revision seminar in term 3

Indicative syllabus

NB this syllabus is provisional until confirmed at the end of the summer term. There may be some changes to the specific texts and authors studied.

Autumn term

Week 1 Introduction

Weeks 2 Chaucer, The Miller's Prologue and Tale and The Reeve's Prologue and Tale

Week 3 Chaucer, The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale

Week 4 Chaucer, The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale

Week 5 Chaucer, The Prioress's Prologue and Tale

Week 7 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, fitts 1-2

Week 8 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, fitts 3-4

Week 9 The Book of Margery Kempe

Week 10 Morality plays: Mankind

Spring term

Week 1 Introduction to the Renaissance and Reformation.

Week 2 Thomas More, Utopia

Week 3 The wider world (early modern travel writing)

Week 4 Philip Sidney, Astrophil and Stella

Week 5 Mary Wroth, Pamphilia to Amphilanthus

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 William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors

Week 10 Christopher Marlowe, Dr Faustus

Assessment

EN121 (first year students):

2000 word assessed essay (50%) + 2hr exam (50%). In the exam, students will write one essay (60% of the exam mark) and one commentary (40% of the exam mark).

Students will also complete a formative essay of 1800 words and a formative commentary (timed, in exam conditions).

EN2J5 (intermediate year students):

3000 word assessed essay (50%) + 2hr exam (50%). In the exam, students will write one essay (60% of the exam mark) and one commentary (40% of the exam mark).

Students will also complete a formative essay of 2000 words and a formative commentary (timed, in exam conditions).

EN3J5 (final year students):

4000 word assessed essay (50%) + 2hr exam (50%). In the exam, students will write one essay (60% of the exam mark) and one commentary (40% of the exam mark).

Students will also complete a formative essay of 2500 words and a formative commentary (timed, in exam conditions).