The stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are some of the most popular in medieval Europe: how did this tradition arise, and why did it flourish? Why does it continue to inspire books and films today? This course will introduce students to the Middle English language through a study of some examples of Arthurian Romance, including works by Chaucer and Malory, as well as the Breton lay Sir Launfal and and the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Consideration will be given also to European analogues and sources, particularly in French romance, but the primary texts studied will be Middle English. Assessment by PS paper. Draft Schedule: 17.09 Intro to Arthur, Geoffrey of Monmouth 24.09 Layamon’s Brut I: The beginnings, the Court 01.10 Breton Arthur: Sir Launfal 1 08.10 Sir Launfal contd. 15.10 Arthur’s Knights: Gawain and the Green Knight 22.10 Gawain and the Green Knight II 29.10 The Green Knight on film 05.11 Continental analogues: Chrétien de Troyes and Marie de France 12.11 Chaucer: The Wife of Bath's Tale 19.11 Chaucer: The Tale of Sir Thopas 26.11 Malory’s Launcelot and Guinevere 03.12 Malory’s Arthur: The King’s Death 10.12 Victorian Arthur: Tennyson’s The Passing of Arthur 17.12 Grail quest in the 1990s: The Fisher King film |