Vertiefungsseminar Oral Culture in Old English Heroic Poetry Mo 12:30-14:00

Teilnahme an der ersten Sitzung (19.10.) ist Pflicht. Alle Angemeldeten, die zur ersten Sitzung nicht erscheinen, werden von der Liste gestrichen. According to the OED, a text is -[t]he wording of anything written or printed; the structure formed by the words in their order; the very words, phrases, and sentences as written.- Literature can refer to -[t]he action or process of writing a book or literary work,- and in the modern understanding, poetry is usually written. In the context of medieval poetry, however, it is necessary to reconsider this concept of -writing poetry-, as medieval poetry was orally composed and transmitted before it was written down and thus preserved, and finally handed down to us. But how do we know a text like Beowulf was composed orally? How can we recognise -orality- in a text, and what do we understand by orality in the first place? Moreover, what role did the spoken word have in oral culture? This class aims to answer these questions (and more) through an introduction into oral theory, combined with close examinations of selected works of Old English heroic poetry: -The Battle of Maldon- and Beowulf. Next to a focus on the study of orality in these texts, this class will offer a brief introduction to the genre of heroic poetry, and students will have the opportunity to suggest additional subjects for discussions in selected sessions. At the end of the term, students will be able to: • define the concept of orality and recognise features of oral residue in the primary literature • name main motifs of (Old English) heroic poetry • understand the relation of heroic poetry to and its relevance for Anglo-Saxon society • read scholarly literature efficiently Beowulf. Ed. and trans. Seamus Heaney. New York:Norton, 2000. Print. (ISBN: 978-0393320978)The bilingual edition (Old English & Modern English) has to be bought and read by mid-October. The book will be available at Stern Verlag on campus.All other texts will be available online. Recommended reading:Doane, A.N., and Carol Braun Pasternack (eds.). Vox intexta. Orality and Textuality in the Middle Ages. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1991. Print.Johnson, David F., and Elaine Treharne (eds.). Readings in Medieval Texts: Interpreting Old and Middle English Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.Lord, Albert B. The Singer of Tales. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1960. Print.Ong, Walter. Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word. London: Methuen, 1982. Print.Reichl, Karl (ed.). Medieval Oral Literature. Berlin: de Gruyter, 2012. Print.Sorrell, Paul. -Oral Poetry and the World of Beowulf.- Oral Tradition 7.1 (1992): 28-65. Print. Voraussetzungen Required are the completion of basic module I (Ältere Anglistik), and the will to prepare (meaning to read attentively) the texts that are discussed in the seminar. Furthermore, students should be willing to work with Old English texts. Although translations will be used to assist in the understanding of the poems, their original versions will be studied in order to examine their language and meaning. Leistungsnachweis BN: Kurzessay (2-3 Seiten) über ein im Seminar besprochenes oder verwandtes Thema AP: Hausarbeit, Studienarbeit (mit mündlichem Vortrag) oder mündliche Prüfung; im Methodenmodul eine unbenotete Haus- oder Studienarbeit Anglistik u.Amerikanistik (BA, PO 2011) Erg.fach Required are the completion of basic module I (Ältere Anglistik), and the will to prepare (meaning to read attentively) the texts that are discussed in the seminar. Furthermore, students should be willing to work with Old English texts. Although translations will be used to assist in the understanding of the poems, their original versions will be studied in order to examine their language and meaning. BN: Kurzessay (2-3 Seiten) über ein im Seminar besprochenes oder verwandtes Thema AP: Hausarbeit, Studienarbeit (mit mündlichem Vortrag) oder mündliche Prüfung; im Methodenmodul eine unbenotete Haus- oder Studienarbeit Universität Düsseldorf WiSe 2015/16 van Drünen Janine