C219/Section 1175: Romance and the Western Tradition
L. Dahmen 1
Classics of World Romance
DEPARTMENT OF COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
SPRING 2000

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

COAS
Course Information
Instructor: Lynne Dahmen
Class meeting times: MWF 12:20-1:10 SE010 010
Office Hours: WF 11:00-12:15, Dept. of Comparative Literature Library
Contact: ldahmen@Indiana.edu
Comp. Lit. Office: 9th Floor, Ballantine Hall, 855-7070
Course Description
This class will provide exposure to one of the most enduring genres/modes of literature,
the romance. Cultures around the world have created literary masterpieces that explore
'love' and its relationship to larger societal concerns. The bulk of the reading for this
course is composed of pre-Renaissance texts still read today in both Western and nonWestern cultures. Through the analysis of enduring literary works we will explore both
the forms and themes associated with this literary genre and examine specific issues
such as love and society, love and religion, and love as religion. In addition, individual
research projects will provide students with the opportunity to investigate the concept of
romance in at least one contemporary media, which can be literary, musical, or cultural
(such as self-help books, advertising, television, etc.).
Required Texts (available at IU Bookstore or T.I.S.)
Tristan and Iseult, Joseph Bedier
Layla and Majnun, Nizami
Parzival, Wolfram von Eschenbach
Tale of Genjii Lady Murasaki Shikibu
La Celestina, Fernando de Rojas
Course packet (available at Collegiate Copies on 3rd st.)
The course packet contains: "The Tale of Lancelot," by Mallory;
"The Knight's Tale," by Chaucer; “The Tale of Aziz and Azizah,”
Antar and Abla; various relevant articles.
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Course Objectives
This class assumes an interest in the topic at hand and seeks to provide students with a
clear understanding of the origins of the genre commonly known as romance and a
grasp of the pervasiveness of the mode across time and cultures. There is also an
emphasis on increasing the student's ability to write comparative essays and conduct
outside research. By the end of this class a student should be able to:

Discuss basic terms and concepts associated with romance as a literary
genre

Analyze a literary text from both thematic and formal perspectives

Conduct library research on a literary subject

Apply concepts discussed in class to new primary texts
Course Requirements
This class is designed to mix lecture with
Mini-themes (5 at 30 points)
150
class discussions, presentations and group
Research Project
150
Quizzes, homework, class notes
100
work. Success in this class requires
regular and active participation as well as
successful completion of all assigned
& projects
Class Participation/Attendance
100
TOTAL
500
papers and projects in a timely fashion.
Mini-themes: Each reading assignment will have a corresponding mini-theme
assignment that will be a two to three page essay. There are eight works read in class,
but each student is only required to write five mini-themes, so you can choose which
ones you would like to write. The topics for these essays will vary in type. They are
designed to increase your ability to write about literary topics and to demonstrate your
understanding of primary and secondary reading material discussed in class. These
papers must be typed and handed in on time. Late papers are down-graded one third of
a grade for each day late, unless prior arrangements are made. Papers more than a
week late will not be accepted.
Research Project: The research project is a semester long investigation that provides
you with the opportunity to investigate a contemporary topic of your choice in light of
class discussions and our readings. The larger project will be broken down into smaller
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parts throughout the semester and will culminate with presentations of your own
research to the class.
Homework, Quizzes, Class Notes and Group Projects: From time to time short
homework assignments will be given with the goal of guiding your own reading and
increasing preparedness for class discussion. If there is a chronic lack of preparedness,
quizzes may be given. Several times throughout the semester you will be asked to type
and submit detailed class notes. These notes will be evaluated and corrected and then
posted on the Oncourse system as a process of review and to provide an overview of
material covered. The reasons for keeping a class notebook include: to provide detailed
feedback to students concerning note-taking, to free students from feeling they must
write down every word everyday, to check on comprehension of specific ideas and to
correct any misunderstandings, to provide information for those who may have been
absent on a given day. Some days there will also be group projects in class.
Class participation/ Attendance: Though there is no formal attendance policy (i.e.,
miss three times and you fail), class preparation and regular attendance is vital to the
success of the class as a whole. Excessive absence obviously prevents active
participation. Your in-class presentation, a ten-minute presentation on a specific topic to
be chosen the first week of class, will account for part of this grade.
Oncourse: This class uses Oncourse, the on-line course environment currently
available to all students. There will be a mandatory session on how to utilize the
Oncourse system the first week of classes and students will thereafter be expected to be
able to use the system to do the following: regularly check daily reading assignments,
access topics for mini-themes and homework assignments; send and read class e-mail,
send and receive attached documents, access grades. Exact reading assignments will
be posted at least one week before they are due.
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Schedule of Reading Assignments
DATE
1 (1/10-14)
Reading Assignments
Papers Due
M--Introduction; W-Essay on romance
None
F--Oncourse training, IMU rm. 088
2 (1/17-21)
M--No class, MLK day; W, F--Tristan and Iseult
None
3 (1/28-1/28)
Tristan and Iseult, essay from reader
Paper #1 due 1/28
4 (1/31-2/4)
Layla and Majnun
Preliminary topic
due 2/4
5 (2/7-2-11)
Layla and Majnun, “Aziz and Azizah”
6 (2/14-2/18)
Antar and Abla, essay from reader
7 (2/21-2/25)
Antar and Abla/ Parzival
Paper #3 due 2/25
8 (2/28-3/3)
Parzival, essay from reader
Bibliography for
Paper #2 due 2/11
project due 3/3
9 (3/6-3/10)
Parzival
(3/13-3/17)
SPRING BREAK (bring along Genji)
Paper # 4 due 3/10
10 (3/20-3/24) Tale of Genji, essay from reader
Paper #5 due 3/24
11 (3/27-3/31) Tale of Genji
Outline for project
due
12 (4/3-4/7)
Tale of Genji, Lancelot
Paper #6 due 4/7
13 (4/10-4/14) Lancelot, "The Knight's Tale"
None
14 (4/17-4/21) "The Knight's Tale," La Celestina
Paper #7 due 4/17
15 (4/24-4/28) La Celestina
Paper # 8 due 4/28
** Research projects will be presented during the Final Exam period though they are due
on April 28th. All specific reading assignments (pages, essays, etc., will be promptly
available on Oncourse).
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Potential topics for presentations:
1. Background on 12th c. French Romance, origins and forms (week 2)
2. Love sickness, courtly love and lyric poetry (week 3)
3. Nizami and his literary age (week 4)
4. The persistence of the Leila and Majnun tale (week 5)
5. Arabic popular literature, 1001 Nights and the tale of Antar and Abla (week 6)
6. The myth of the holy grail, possible sources (week 8)
7. The Heian period in Japanese literature (week 10)
8. Literature and art in relation to the Genji legend (week 12)
9. Survey of the love affair of Guinevere and Lancelot in literature (week 13)
10.
Introduction to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and “The Knight’s Tale” (week 14)
11.
Spanish literature and approaches to romance (week 15)
Potential topics for Research Projects:
1. Illustrations of Arthurian legends in the 19th c.
2. Genji and contemporary Japanese culture
3. Antar as a cult figure in the Arab world
4. The language of romance in Internet dating
5. Romance and modern advertising
6. Medieval romance, modern film
7. Ideal love in women’s magazines
8. Genji and Japanese art