English 102: Chaucer (FQ14)
MW 12:35-2:05
200-305
Office hours: M 9-10, W 3-4:30, and by appt.
Professor M. Karnes
karnes@stanford.edu
(650) 725-6485
Office: 460-311
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: CHAUCER
This course will introduce you to the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, the deservedly famous author from
medieval England who had an exceptionally good sense of humor. We will spend the majority of the
class on Chaucer’s magnum opus, the Canterbury Tales, an ambitious collection of tales culled from
different places and genres. Throughout the course, you will hone your Middle English comprehension
skills as you confront challenging, diverse, and sophisticated pieces of literature. You will be asked to
write two cogent and insightful essays on the readings. The goal of the class is both to introduce you to
the works of a masterful author and to develop your capacity to produce excellent oral and written
literary analysis. No prior knowledge of Middle English or medieval literature is expected.
REQUIRED TEXT:
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Riverside Chaucer, ed. Fred Robinson, Oxford University Press, 1998.
*The text is available at the Stanford bookstore. All readings not in the Riverside Chaucer will be available
through Coursework.
CLASS PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE:
I ask that you contribute regularly to class discussion with questions and ideas. I do not intend to harass
the most shy among you, and I respect the occasional desire to keep one’s ideas to oneself, but try to keep
such reticence to a minimum; successful class discussion requires the exchange of several ideas. Class
attendance is required. If you are so unfortunate as to miss a class, it is your responsibility to learn about
and promptly complete any work that was assigned in it. Please show up to class on time as well. Do
expect absences and tardiness to affect your grade adversely.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Of course it is your responsibility to do all of the readings carefully and on time. Expect that the readings
will take longer at the beginning of the quarter as you begin to develop your Middle English readings
skills. I encourage you very strongly to read assignments more than once, especially early in the class.
Sometimes, the Chaucer readings are paired with another piece of literature, either a source text for
Chaucer’s work, a text that shares the same genre as Chaucer’s, or a work that provides useful context,
thematic or stylistic, for Chaucer’s text. These non-Chaucerian works will be available on Coursework.
You are also asked to read the General Prologue (GP) description for each new pilgrim as we encounter
him or her. Finally, please bring the Riverside Chaucer with you to every class.
The ability to write subtle, persuasive, and elegant literary analysis is the defining skill of the English
major, and for this reason your grade will depend heavily on the two papers that you write for this class.
Your papers are your opportunity to work through your own ideas about a given text, to propose a
creative yet plausible account of some theme or stylistic feature in it, to argue for your reading effectively,
and to express that reading gracefully. A good paper is hard and time-consuming to write, and although
we will talk about the components of a good paper in class, I encourage you to come talk with me as you
are working on yours. If you have not written many college-level English papers, then I encourage you
all the more strongly to come meet with me.
There will be three short tests during the quarter that will give you the chance to show that you’ve done
the readings with due diligence. The tests will consist mostly of passage identification, although there
might also be a short essay question. The first test will also include a passage from your reading that you
will need to translate into modern English.
CONSULTATION:
I enthusiastically encourage you to come to office hours to talk about course readings, assignments, or
other matters relevant to the course. I will also happily schedule a meeting with you outside my office
hours if you are unavailable during them. Short questions are appropriate over email, but please come
see me if you have a question that requires more than a 1-2 sentence answer. Do not expect immediate
responses to emails: I will respond to all messages that require response within 48 hours.
GRADES:
Your final grade will be determined by the sum of your work. The papers play the largest role, but class
participation will figure prominently as well. Keep all of your work throughout the quarter.
First paper
Second paper
Tests
Class Participation
30%
35%
20%
15%
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Students who have a disability that may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary
aids and services in a class must initiate the request with the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC).
The SDRC will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend appropriate
accommodations, and prepare a verification letter dated in the current academic term in which the
request is being made. Please contact the SDRC as soon as possible: timely notice is needed to arrange for
appropriate accommodations. The SDRC is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk (phone 723-1066; TTY 7251067). Its web address is: http://www.stanford.edu/group/DRC/.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Any infraction of the honor code, including plagiarism and cheating, will be reported to the Office of
Judicial Affairs. According to their website, “For purposes of the Stanford University Honor Code,
plagiarism is defined as the use, without giving reasonable and appropriate credit to or acknowledging
the author or source, of another person's original work, whether such work is made up of code, formulas,
ideas, language, research, strategies, writing or other form(s).” If you are unsure what constitutes
plagiarism, it is your responsibility to find out.
All students must observe the Honor Code:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/vpsa/judicialaffairs/guiding/honorcode.htm
SYLLABUS: CHAUCER
M 9/22
Introduction: Chaucer’s life; How to Read Middle English
W 9/24
General Prologue, ll. 1-77; 746-858
The Knight’s Tale ll. 859-1354
M 9/29
The Knight’s Tale ll. 1355-1880, 2569-3108
W 10/1
The Miller’s Prologue and Tale; General Prologue (GP) 545-566
“The Butcher of Abbeville” (Coursework)
M 10/6
The Reeve’s Prologue and Tale; The Cook’s Tale; GP 587-622
Boccaccio, Decameron IX.6 (Coursework)
W 10/8
The Wife of Bath’s Prologue; GP 445-476
Jerome, Adversus Jovinian (Coursework)
M 10/13
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
Test #1
Andreas Capellanus, The Art of Courtly Love, Selection (Coursework)
W 10/15
The Man of Law’s Prologue and Tale; GP 309-330
M 10/20
The Friar’s Prologue and Tale; GP 208-269
Selected anti-fraternal poems (Coursework)
W 10/22
The Summoner’s Prologue and Tale; GP 623-668
Vision of the Monk of Evesham (Coursework)
M 10/27
The Clerk’s Prologue and Tale ll. 1-784; GP 285-308
W 10/29
The Clerk’s Tale ll. 785-1212g
The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale ll. 1213-1576; GP 270-284
M 11/3
The Merchant’s Tale 1577-2417
Genesis 1-3 (Coursework)
W 11/5
The Squire’s Introduction and Tale; GP 79-100
Test #2
“The Tale of the Enchanted Horse” from One Thousand and One Nights
M 11/10
The Franklin’s Prologue and Tale; GP 331-360
Marie de France, “Lanval” (Coursework)
W 11/12
The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale; GP 669-714
M 11/17
The Prioress’s Prologue and Tale; The Second Nun’s Prologue and Tale; GP 118-162
W 11/19
The Nun’s Priest’s Prologue and Tale
Marie de France’s “Cock and Fox” and Le Roman de Renart (Coursework)
Nov. 24 and Nov. 26
Thanksgiving Break
T 12/6
Book of the Duchess
Th 12/8
The Parliament of Fowls
Cicero, Dream of Scipio (Coursework)
First Paper Due (5-6 pgs)
Final Paper Due (6-8 pgs)
Test #3