ENG 405/505: Chaucer Spring 2013 MWF 1-1:50 Minne' Hall 350 Dr. Andrew Higl Office: Minne 320 Phone: 507-457-5527 Email: ahigl@winona.edu Office Hours: MW 9:00-10:00; 2:00-4:00; T TH 9-11 Course Description: Chaucer may be the most entertaining and thought-provoking writer you will ever encounter. However, Chaucer is not the easiest writer to read. In this course, we will work to become better readers of Chaucer’s works, hopefully enjoying those especially humorous and entertaining moments, but also tackling Chaucer’s language, delving into the potential meanings of his work, and understanding his historically distant cultural environment. This course is an introduction to some of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, including and especially the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer is the most influential Middle English poet and is generally regarded as one of the most important writers in the English tradition. We will read Chaucer’s literary works in a variety of ways in order to better grasp the nuances of Middle English, the cultural context of fourteenth-century England, and the textual condition of Chaucer’s work. These multifarious approaches will allow us to engage with the linguistic content of his work closely, look at the material conditions and variations in Chaucer’s work broadly, and explore the cultural and historical context of his work directly. Our Goals We will work towards… 1. Developing as readers of Chaucer’s Middle English. 2. Enriching our understanding of the culture and cultural productions of Fourteenth-Century England. 3. Learning to read the historically distant texts of Chaucer in a way that enlightens our understanding of the past and explores Chaucer’s relevance in the present. Texts Print: Norton Critical Editions of the Following: Dream Visions and Other Poems The Canterbury Tales Troilus and Criseyde Online: The Canterbury Tales: Fifteenth-Century Continuations and Additions (http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/bowers.htm) Six Ecclesiastical Satires (http://www.lib.rochester.edu/CAMELOT/teams/dean2.htm) Robin Hood and Other Outlaw Tales (http://www.lib.rochester.edu/CAMELOT/TEAMS/gamint.htm) Other online materials (handouts) and links via our course site Assignments Various Assignments: Various weekly multi-modal activities, which will ask you to engage with Chaucer's texts both critically and creatively. Brief descriptions are below. More details will be provided in advance. These activities will ask you to engage closely with Middle English, historical context, and scholarly criticism. Final Project: A final paper of about 10-15 pages for which you will research and closely analyze a particular aspect of Chaucer’s corpus or Chaucer’s reception. Details will be forthcoming. Exams: There will be a midterm and a final consisting of some short answers, fill-ins, and passage identification. I will let you know the format and scope of the tests well in advance of the test dates. Daily Discussion/Reflection: For each class (except exam days) I expect you to write a paragraph about the reading for that day. Your paragraph should include an element of reflection and propose a point for discussion that we might take up in class. Your point of reflection might be simply a statement of synthesis or a gut reaction to the reading. Your discussion point must be specific to the text, but it should be something that opens up an issue of interpretation. Your paragraph must be posted to Posterous five hours before class. Quizzes: I only use quizzes if I notice a lack of class participation. If everyone participates online and in the classroom, surprise reading quizzes may be avoided. Commitment Grade The commitment grade is like a participation grade except a little different. The commitment grade is based on several things. (1) It is based on your attendance. This means that you should attend class. If you have more than three unexcused absences, your commitment grade will be reduced. If you have a chronic attendance problem, this will not only affect your commitment grade, but it will likely hurt your grade for the whole course. Simply, show up to class! Excused absences are fine and will not hurt your grade. Please communicate with me. If I suspect that you are simply skipping class regularly, I reserve the right to reduce your grade for the course by one grade (i.e A becomes B). (2) I expect you to be prepared. This part of the grade is based on coming to class prepared to answer questions related to the assigned reading for that day and with printed copies of the readings handy for reference. (3) Please post comments to any discussion points I post on the blog. You are not expected to have something to add to every post, but an active engagement with the blog will certainly help boost your commitment grade. In general commitment means being prepared to ask thoughtful questions that help me and other members of the class understand what we don't yet understand. lt doesn't mean perfect mastery of the material on the first try. In other words: PLEASE don't hesitate to ask and ask again when you are puzzled! Grade Breakdown Commitment 5% Activities/Assignments/Posterous Discussion 25% Midterm 20% Presentations (i.e. Intros) 10% Final Paper 20% Final 20% 90-100%--A 80-90%--B 70-80%--C 60-70%--D <60%--F Unexcused late assignments (final drafts) will receive a deduction of 20% each day they are late. (i.e. 90% becomes 70%). PLEASE COMMUNICATE WITH ME IF YOU NEED MORE TIME! I will not accept any plagiarized assignments. Using another person’s words or ideas without attribution is plagiarism. No credit will be given for plagiarized work. If you borrow an idea or quote from another author, you must cite where you found the material. Sources must be cited in handouts as well as in formal papers. I don't mind what form of citation you use as long as your citations allow your reader to find your source easily. If you need help with creating citations or finding sources, please see me and I will be glad to help. You will receive no credit for the assignment and repeat offenses may result in an F for the course. Course Schedule Week 1 (Jan 14, 16, 18) M Intro to Chaucer—life, legend, lore Textual History of Chaucer (Manuscripts, Caxton, de Worde, Thynne, Speght) W Introduction to Middle English Anelida and Arcite F The Parliament of Fowles Intro: Scipio’s Dream material Week 2 (Jan 23, 25) W Troilus and Criseyde (Book 1) CS Lewis’ essay F Troilus and Criseyde (Book 2) Intro 1: Boethius Assignment: Translate 20 lines with paragraph explaining choices Week 3 (Jan 28, 30, Feb 1) M Troilus and Criseyde (Book 3) Green’s essay W Troilus and Criseyde (Book 4) Assignment: MED Word investigation due F Troilus and Criseyde (Book 5) Mann and Donaldson’s essays Week 4 (Feb 4, 6, 8) M Testament of Cresseid My essay on the Testament W Introduction to the Tales General Prologue Intro 2: Estates F Finish the GP Intro 3: pilgrimage and storytelling frame narratives Week 5 (Feb 11, 13, 15) M Knight’s Tale W Knight’s Tale F Miller’s Tale Intro 4: Analogue material Week 6 (Feb 18, 20, 22) M Reeve’s Tale Intro 5: Analogue material W No class F Cook’s fragment; Tale of Gamelyn (in Robin Hood and Other Outlaw Tales) The Cook’s Tale in Manuscript Bodley 686 See also the four-line conclusion (found in two mss) in the intro to the Bodley 686 text My chapter on the tale Assignment: Propose and share an ending for the Cook Week 7 (Feb 25, 27, Mar 1) M Wife of Bath’s Prologue (w/ alternate beginnings—see d2l) Intro 6: Prologue sources and contexts W Wife of Bath’s Tale Intro 7: Sources and Contexts F Friar’s Tale Intro 8: Sources and Contexts Week 8 (Mar 4, 6, 8) M Summoner’s Tale W Intro to reading manuscripts Activity: Paleography and Codicology exercise; practice transcribing and describing manuscripts F Assignment: General Prologue recitation (due any time before the midterm) MIDTERM Week 9 (March 11, 13, 15) M Canterbury Interlude from the Northumberland MS Intro to final paper W Clerk’s Tale Intro 10: Sources and Contexts F Merchant’s Tale Intro 11: Sources and Contexts Spring Break Week 10 (March 25, 27, 29) M Franklin Intro 12: Sources and Contexts FINAL PAPER (stage I): Pose and begin to research an historical question (i.e. Christianity and Judaism based on the Prioress's Tale); W Pardoner Patterson’s Essay Intro 13: Sources and Contexts F No class Week 11 (April 1, 3, 5) (conferences) M No class W Prioress Intro 14: Sources and Contexts F Thopas Melibee Intro 15: Intro to Thopas’ context Week 12 (April 8. 10, 12) M Nun’s Priest Intro 16: Sources and Contexts W Manciple Intro 17: Sources and Contexts F Monk’s Tale (see online) Parson extracts Retraction Week 13 (April 15, 17, 19) M Wrap up the Tales Assignment: linguistic investigation, take 2 W Overview of Apocrypha F Assignment: Design your own CT with links and tale orders. Form a user-created link and new contextual relationship between two tales and tellers. Week 14 (Apr 22, 24 26) M Activity: Paleography Exercise W The Legend of Good Women Hansen’s Essay F The Legend of Good Women Green’s Essay Week 15 (April 29, May 1, 3) M House of Fame 1&2 W House of Fame 3 Evans’ essay F Review Final Exam