Spring 2002 v ENGL 211/411
MW 2:00-3:15 v MH 108
The Arthurian Legend: Transformations and Recyclings
Office Hours: MW 1:00-2:00, and by Appointment in HUM 321
( and Voice Mail: 505.277.2930
Email: AObermei@unm.edu
Website: http://www.unm.edu/~AObermei
Mailbox in Main English Department Office HUM 217
Required Texts
Castle, Gregory, and Anita Obermeier. Guide to Style. 2000.
Chrétien de Troyes. Perceval, or The Story of the Grail. Trans. Ruth Cline. U of Georgia P, 1985.
Lacy, Norris J., and Geoffrey Ashe. The Arthurian Handbook. 2nd ed. Garland, 1998.
Lacy, Norris J., ed. The Lancelot-Grail Reader. Garland, 2000.
Malory, Sir Thomas. Le Morte Darthur: The Winchester Manuscript. Ed. Helen Cooper. Oxford UP, 1998.
Mitchison, Naomi. To the Chapel Perilous. Oakland, CA: Green Knight, 1999.
Percy, Walker. Lancelot. Ivy Books, 1977.
Tennyson, Lord Alfred. Idylls of the King. Penguin, 1996.
Wilhelm, James J., ed. The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation. Garland, 1994.
Art, films, and slides will also be presented in various contexts.
Texts on Reserve
Most of the texts above are on reserve along with the following, to which more will be added later:
Fenster, Thelma, ed. Arthurian Women: A Casebook. Garland, 1996.
Kennedy, Donald, ed. King Arthur: A Casebook. Garland, 1991.
Mahoney, Dhira, ed. The Grail: A Casebook. Garland, 2000.
Walters, Lori J., ed. Lancelot and Guinevere: A Casebook. Garland, 1996.
Course Requirements
| 211 | 411 |
| Oral Group Presentation worth 15 % | Oral Group Presentation worth 15 % |
| 1 5-page paper worth 20 % | 1 8-10-page paper worth 20 % |
| Final worth 25 % | Final worth 25 % |
| Written Responses worth 15 % | Written Responses worth 15 % |
| Class Participation worth 15 % | Class Participation worth 15 % |
Grading will be done on a standard 0-100 scale. See website for grading rubrics.
Tentative Syllabus
(Texts to be read for the day indicated. Responses are to be handed in on the day indicated.)
| M 1.14 | Introduction to the Course. |
| W 1.16 | Origins: Arthur of the Chronicles and the Celtic Arthur: The Arthurian Handbook, Ch. I: “Origins” (2-55); Romance of Arthur, Ch. I: “Arthur in the Latin Chronicles” (3-24). |
| M 1.21 |
Martin Luther King Day. No Classes. |
| W 1.23 |
Romance of Arthur, Chs. II, III, IV: “Arthur in the Early Welsh Tradition” (11-24), “Culhwch and Olwen” (25-58), “Arthur in Geoffrey of Monmouth” (59-93) Note: there is a mass of detail in Chs. I and II—you are not expected to learn all the names, only to understand the major traditions. We will focus mostly on Geoffrey of Monmouth. MSSA Arthurian Film Festival: HUM 319, 7pm. |
| M 1.28 |
Arthur of the Chronicles, Arthur of Romance: Romance of Arthur, Chs. V, VI, and XVIII: “Wace” (95-108), “Layamon” (109-19), “The Alliterative Morte Arthure” (489-527). This week, and for the next four weeks, browse through the Handbook, Ch. II, “Early Arthurian Literature” (57-135), as appropriate. Response 1 Due. |
| W 1.30 | Romance of Arthur, Ch. VII: Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot, or The Knight of the Cart (121-62). |
| M 2.4 |
Lancelot and Tristan: Romance of Arthur, Ch. VII: Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot (163-200). |
| W 2.6 | Romance of Arthur, Ch. X: Béroul, The Romance of Tristan (225-75). Response 2 Due. MSSA Arthurian Film Festival: 2.7. HUM 319, 7pm. |
| M 2.11 |
Tristan and Perceval: Romance of Arthur, Ch. XII: Thomas of Britain, Tristan (Death Scene) (283-93); Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval, or The Story of the Grail (trans. Ruth Cline) (1-50). |
| W 2.13 | Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval (51-132). |
| M 2.18 |
Perceval and Merlin: Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval (133-end). Response 3 Due. |
| W 2.20 | Begin The Lancelot-Grail Reader: The Story of Merlin (49-92), and The Death of Merlin (415-419). Note that some of this material overlaps with “The Prose Merlin” section in The Romance of Arthur, Ch. XIV (305-63)—the same sources, but different translators, and different selections. |
| M 2.25 |
Group Presentations. |
| W 2.27 |
The Vulgate Lancelot and Medieval Art: The Lancelot-Grail Reader: Lancelot, Pts. I-II (94-141). Response 4 Due. MSSA Arthurian Film Festival: HUM 319, 7pm. |
| M 3.4 |
The Lancelot-Grail Reader: Lancelot, Pts. III-IV (142-234). Medieval manuscript illuminations (slides). Browse through The Arthurian Handbook, Ch. IV: “Arthur in the Arts” (199-216). |
| W 3.6 |
The Vulgate Grail: The Lancelot-Grail Reader: Lancelot, Pts. V-VI (235-304). Response 5 Due. |
| 3.11-15 |
Spring Break. |
| M 3.18 |
The Lancelot-Grail Reader: The Quest for the Grail (306-363). |
| W 3.20 | Malory: Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Introduction, Note on the Text, text to 119. Note: some of this material will be familiar, since Malory is abridging and retelling tales from his sources, many of which you have already read. Response 6 Due. MSSA Arthurian Film Festival: 3.19. HUM 319, 7pm |
| M 3.25 |
Group Presentations. |
| W 3.27 | Malory, 121-68. |
| M 4.1 | Malory, 169-309. |
| W 4.3 | Malory, 310-527. Response 7 Due. MSSA Arthurian Film Festival: HUM 319, 7pm. |
| M 4.8 |
Victorian Poetry and Pre-Raphaelite Art: Tennyson, “Sir Galahad” (Xerox), “The Lady of Shalott” (Xerox), Idylls of the King, “The Coming of Arthur” (21-35). |
| W 4.10 | Tennyson, Idylls of the King, “The Holy Grail” (206-30). Pre-Raphaelite Art (slides). |
| M 4.15 | Group Presentations. |
| M 4.17 |
Victorian Poets, Masculinities and Femininities: Tennyson, Idylls of the King: esp. “Merlin and Vivien” (142-67), “Lancelot and Elaine” (168-205). Response 8 Due. |
| M 4.22 |
Tennyson, Idylls of the King: “Guinevere” (269-87), “The Passing of Arthur” (288-300), William Morris, “The Defense of Guinevere,” (Xerox). |
| W 4.24 | Modernism: T. S. Eliot, “The Waste Land” (Xerox). MSSA Arthurian Film Festival: HUM 319, 7pm. Response 9 Due. |
| M 4.29 | Post-Modernism: Walker Percy, Lancelot. Term Paper Due. |
| W 5.1 | Naomi Mitchison, To the Chapel Perilous. Response 10 Due. Final Exam Prep. |
| M 5.6 | Final Exam: 3-5pm in MH 108. |
Course Objective
This course will investigate the enduring strength and attraction of the Arthurian legend from its beginnings in the medieval period to contemporary literature and popular culture. There is no such thing as one “authentic” Arthurian tradition, only competing accounts and reconceptualizations; indeed, uncertainty about Arthurian “truth” has recently become a literary theme in itself. In this course, we will read different versions of the legend, from medieval to modern, observing how each new version serves a new authorial or political and cultural agenda, whether it is to establish a national foundation myth, or to endorse specific religious values, or to revive medieval values in an industrial age, or to indicate the spiritual emptiness of modern society–the Waste Land itself. Medieval and Victorian art will also be represented, as will opera and contemporary film. We may also glance at the ways in which the Arthurian legend surfaces in popular culture, in musicals, films, and fantasy shows. Our guiding question through the course will be “Why Arthur, particularly? Why this figure, this narrative, this myth?”
Course Policies
1. Papers must conform to the presentational guidelines set forth in the Guide to Style or the MLA. Each paper should represent your best effort and will be graded accordingly. Please note that I encourage you to discuss topics, outlines, and rough drafts with me during my office hours or via email. You will be given a separate instruction sheet for each assignment. Papers have to be submitted on time.
2. Tests: The final closed book, consisting of short ids, passage ids, and essay questions. I will distribute a study guide before the final exam.
3. Attendance is mandatory. Since your progress in the course will depend a great deal on what we discuss in class, I expect class attendance and participation (actual contributions to the class discussion). I will pass out attendance sheets, and it is your responsibility to sign the sheets. So if the sheet passed you by, come up to the desk and sign at the end of class. Your participation grade will be affected after 4 unexcused absences (from a B+ to a B for one additional absence, etc.). An excused absence is a doctor’s note, letter from an employer, etc. If you have an emergency situation, you can leave a message on my voice mail or email. Note: While you are welcome to check with me on what you have missed, I do not "reteach" class periods you missed during my office hours or over email. Please consult with your fellow students for notes.
4. Written Responses: You are expected to write a 1-paragraph response for each class period with a text assignment, bringing it to class to get us started on discussions. On the days indicated, you are to turn your paragraphs in to me for credit (comprising about 1 page). You can also turn them in before the due date. These responses should be informal, journal-like, typed pieces, expressing your thoughts and reactions to the text. They also help me see where an entire class might be lost, or what you are particularly interested in. In the past, I have really enjoyed reading about your thoughts; I get the feeling that I am sharing your experience. Do not be afraid to express puzzlement and unfamiliarity, or even delight and interest. I am interested in your untutored, uncritical reactions to the text. We will leave more structured and analytical writing for the formal papers.
5. MSSA Arthurian Film Festival: Attendance at the film festival counts toward your participation grade. You have to attend at least twice during the semester. It should be fun, and there will be pizza, popcorn, and dessert.
6. Assignments: Students must attempt all assignments to pass the course. You cannot simply skip an assignment because you are happy with your grade at the time; hence you cannot, for instance, skip the final.
7. Pertinent Websites: My own website is under reconstruction but will contain a file for this class with links to pertinent Arthurian and other medieval sites. All handouts will be available from the website also.
8. Plagiarism. Don’t do it! For clarification, see #102-107 in the Guide to Style.