Medieval Writing: Imagining the Past

This subject develops two main threads. It studies some key genres, voices and styles of medieval writing and authorship, with a special focus on the works of Geoffrey Chaucer and his contemporaries, including several women writers. It also examines the material production of medieval texts and the relationship between writing, translation, and adaptation. The second thread explores post-medieval conceptions of medieval literature, authorship and books in fiction and film. Some of the medieval texts will be read in Middle English; others in modern translation. No prior experience in medieval literature is assumed.

• 1Translate short texts of Middle English into fluent Modern English.
• 2Identify the key stylistic and generic features of several medieval narrative forms.
• 3Evaluate the concepts of authorship and narrative voice in medieval literature.
• 4Explain the cultural conditions that shape the writing of medieval women.
• 5Analyse the afterlife of medieval culture in selected works of fiction and poetry.