Aufbauseminar Of Warriors Kings Saints and Knights Deconstructing the Hero in Old and Middle English Literature

Warriors, kings, saints and knights .. The list of medieval literary heroes is long. Ranging from the Old to the Middle English period, the protagonists of these tales experience an extensive scope of challenges during which they have to prove themselves time and again. From fighting monsters and dragons, cannibals, and one’s own ideals, this class will investigate the medieval hero and the paradigms he is embedded in. The word hero comes to us from the Greek hrs, a word that came to describe an individual somewhere between superhuman and semi-divine. (cp. Bloomfield, 27) Thus in Homer’s Odyssey we are presented with the hero Odysseus who, on his epic journey, not only has to face threatening humans, but also gods and demons. This heroic tradition is echoed later in Virgil’s Aeneid, where its hero Aeneas too, must prove himself in challenges of the human and supernatural sphere. This meaning of the word hero however, changes with its borrowing into other Indo-European languages, where the primary sense of meaning of the word came to mean ‘protector’ or ‘helper.’ (cp. Bloomflied, 27) This semester we will trace this evolution of the hero, starting from Roman and Greek influences such as Odysseus or Aeneas, then closely looking at the heroes of the Old English and those of the Middle English period. Through close-reading and a critical examination of the depicted protagonists, we will deconstrcut the figure of the hero in order to examine how it is affected by cultural influences such as Germanic or French culture or religious paradigms, such as the Christianization or the Crusades. The seminar will focus on a close-reading of the primary texts. Because of this, the number of primary texts will be low: Beowulf, Andreas from the OE period asll well as Morte d'Arthur and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. We will devote two weeks to each primary text, and use secondary literature on the topic to give our analysis a theoretical frame. But looking closely at the various depictions of warriors, kings, saints and knights as well as their adversaries and their challenges, this seminar seeks to not only give students in-depth knowledge of the primary texts, but also to teach critical analysis of literature. It will be the details found in each text that will help us deconstruct the figure of the hero and form a final conclusion at the end of term. We will end the semester with student presentations: in small groups, students will be required to hold a presentation in which they will analyze one of the investigated medieval heroes, and apply their results critically to a ‘modern’ day hero of their choice. The goal will be to determine whether the investigated paradigms of the medieval period can still be found in a modern context, and in how far the depictions of the hero has or has not changed. Sources M. Bloomfield. -The Problem of the Hero in the Later Medieval Period.” IN: Concepts of the Hero in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Ed. Burns & Reagan. (1975) All materials will be uploaded to ILIAS Some texts will be already available a few weeks before class begins so that students can get a head start on their reading! Here's a preliminary list of texts we will be working on this semester: - Beowulf - Battle of Maldon - Andreas - Judith - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Monmouth Historia (Arthurian passages) VoraussetzungenBasismodul + Intermediate/Vertiefungsseminar Medieval Studies Leistungsnachweis In order to earn their BN for the Aktive Teilnahmen, students will have to participate in an expert group and an end-of-term assignment As an expert group, the students will be required to - work together on the coming week's topic and prepare discussion questions be to uploaded to the BSCW before the respective class. - actively participate in the discussion and analysis of the prepared topic during the respective class. The end-of-term assignment will most likely consist of group work, and a short presentation of the results in the final class. Abschlussprüfungen: Oral Exams at the end of the semester or Written Exam in form of a Hausarbeit/Studienarbeit. Zielgruppe All students, but above all, students who are not intimidated by a lively class discussion! Anglistik I: Medieval Literatures and Historical Linguistics Basismodul + Intermediate/Vertiefungsseminar Medieval Studies Leistungsnachweis In order to earn their BN for the Aktive Teilnahmen, students will have to participate in an expert group and an end-of-term assignment As an expert group, the students will be required to - work together on the coming week's topic and prepare discussion questions be to uploaded to the BSCW before the respective class. - actively participate in the discussion and analysis of the prepared topic during the respective class. The end-of-term assignment will most likely consist of group work, and a short presentation of the results in the final class. Abschlussprüfungen: Oral Exams at the end of the semester or Written Exam in form of a Hausarbeit/Studienarbeit. In order to earn their BN for the Aktive Teilnahmen, students will have to participate in an expert group and an end-of-term assignment As an expert group, the students will be required to - work together on the coming week's topic and prepare discussion questions be to uploaded to the BSCW before the respective class. - actively participate in the discussion and analysis of the prepared topic during the respective class. The end-of-term assignment will most likely consist of group work, and a short presentation of the results in the final class. Abschlussprüfungen: Oral Exams at the end of the semester or Written Exam in form of a Hausarbeit/Studienarbeit. Universität Düsseldorf SoSe 2016 Berovic Irena