Description:
The stories concerned with King Arthur and his knights have retained
their fascination in western culture for over seven centuries.
This course will address itself to the early formation of Arthurian
narratives, their genres, and their sub-textual motives: from
the treatment of Arthur as a Celtic hero in the Welsh Mabinogion
to the pseudo-historical presentation of him as royalty in Geoffrey
of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain, from Arthur's use
in the articulation of the chivalric code in Chrétien de
Troyes' romances and the religious reconstitution of the Arthurian
myth in The Quest for the Holy Grail to the use of Arthurian material
as a vehicle of literary and social criticism (Sir Gawain and
the Green Knight) and of bourgeois self-fashioning (Malory's Le
Morte Darthur).
Required Texts:
The Mabinogion, trans. Jeffrey Gantz (1976). Viking Penguin,
ISBN-13: 9780140443226, Penguin Classics
The Quest of the Holy Grail, trans. P.M. Matarasso (1969).
Viking Penguin, ISBN-13: 9780140442205, Penguin Classics
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, trans. Brian Stone (1959).
Viking Penguin, ISBN-13: 9780140440928, Penguin Classics
Béroul, The Romance of Tristan, trans. Alan S. Fredrick
(1978). Viking Penguin, ISBN-13: 9780140442304, Penguin Classics
Chrétien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances, trans. William
W. Kibler and Carleton W. Carroll (1991). Viking Penguin, ISBN-13:
9780140445213, Penguin Classics
Geoffrey of Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain,
trans. Michael A. Faletra (2008). Broadview Editions, ISBN-10:
1-55111-639-1
Sir Thomas Malory, Works, ed. Eugene Vinaver, 2nd ed. (1971).
Oxford University Press, ISBN-10: 0-19-281217-3
Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival, trans. A.T. Hatto (1980).
Viking Penguin, ISBN-13: 9780140443615, Penguin Classics
Pearsall, Derek. Arthurian Romance: A Short Introduction. Malden,
MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2003. ISBN-13: 9780631233206
Requirements:
Students will be responsible for the content not only of the reading
assignments, but also of our discussions in class. Regular attendance
and participation in the discussions of all texts (not just the
text[s] that you are researching for the semester) are prerequisites
for passing the course. The door to the classroom will remain
open for five minutes after the scheduled time for the class to
begin; after that point the door will be closed. If you are late
and see that the door has been closed, you have already been marked
absent for that day - do not come into the classroom. Two unexcused
absences are permissible without any effect on your grade, but
three unexcused absences or more will adversely affect the final
grade for the course. You may also expect brief quizzes on all
reading assignments. Do not use electronic equipment in the classroom
to take notes. The final grades for the course will be composed
of individual performance in six areas:
1) A Topic Description. All Topic Descriptions (1 page; typewritten;
double-spaced; with 1-inch margins, and your name the top of the
page; and carefully proofread) are due on September 9. The grade
on the Topic Description will account for about 10 percent of
your final grade. Two or three students may wish to work together
on a series of oral presentations of related topics or literary
texts and/or intellectual documents to be held at successive class
meetings.
2) An oral presentation (ca. 15 minutes) representing the fruits
of your initial research on a topic which will either be assigned
to you or which you will choose yourself after consultation with
me. You must meet with me during my office hours (or make an appointment)
to discuss your topic. The presentation should be open-ended and
should encourage questions from the rest of the class. The grade
on the presentation will account for about 15 percent of the final
grade.
3) A brief critical book report (2-3 pages; typed or printed in
no larger than size 12 font; double-spaced; with 1-inch margins,
page numbers, and your name on every page; and carefully proofread)
of one or two major studies of the topic or text on which your
paper and presentation are based, due on the date of the oral
report. The grade on the critical book report will account for
about 10 percent of the final grade.
4) Quizzes on each work to be read for the semester. The average
of all the quizzes will account for about 15 percent of the final
grade.
5) A short paper (5-10 pages; typed or printed in no larger than
size 12 font; double-spaced; with 1-inch margins, page numbers,
and your name on every page; and carefully proofread) to be handed
in one week before the oral presentation. The paper will include
an annotated bibliography of 3-5 items which you will have read
in preparation for giving the report and writing the paper (for
all questions of documentation and references, follow the guidelines
available at: http://www.public.asu.edu/~dedalus/guidetostyle/index.html).
The short paper for all reports to be held after October 16 will
be due on October 14. The short paper will serve as the basis
for your term paper. The grade on the short paper will account
for about 15 percent of the final grade.
6) A term paper (15-20 pages; typed or printed in no larger than
size 12 font; double-spaced; with 1-inch margins, page numbers,
and your name on every page; and carefully proofread) in which
all of your research on the topic, and all of your own brilliance,
are formulated carefully and in the scope which the subject demands.
Term papers must be turned in to me - together with the copy of
the short paper you handed in to me and which I returned to you
with my comments - at the latest on the last day of class. I will
not be able to complete your grade for the course (you will receive
an Incomplete) unless I receive both papers at the end of the
semester. The grade on the term paper will account for about 35
percent of the final grade.
1. (8/26): Introduction: The Historical Arthur
2. (8/28): Introduction: The Historical Arthur; Pearsall, pp.
1-6; from Gildas and Pseudo-Nennius (in Geoffrey of Monmouth,
The History, Appendix A, pp. 218-38)
3. (9/2): The Arthur of Celtic Myth: from the Mabinogi:
How Culhwch Won Olwen ________________________, ________________________
4. (9/4): The Arthur of Celtic Myth: from the Mabinogi:
How Culhwch Won Olwen ________________________, ________________________
5. (9/9): The Arthur of Chronicle: from Malory, Works:
"The Tale of the Noble King Arthur that was Emperor Himself
through Dignity of his Hands"; Pearsall, pp. 83-89, 91-92
________________________, ________________________; all Topic
Descriptions due today
6. (9/11): The Arthur of Chronicle: from Malory, Works:
"The Tale of the Noble King Arthur that was Emperor Himself
through Dignity of his Hands" ________________________, ________________________
7. (9/16): The Arthur of "History:" from Geoffrey
of Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain; books
8-11 (pp. 143-204); Pearsall, pp. 6-13 ________________________,
________________________
8. (9/18): The Arthur of "History:" from Geoffrey of
Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain, books 8-11
(pp. 143-204) ________________________, ________________________
9. (9/23): The Value System of Courtly Love: Béroul,
The Romance of Tristan ________________________, ________________________
10. (9/25): The Value System of Courtly Love: Béroul, The
Romance of Tristan ________________________, ________________________
11. (9/30): Rosh Hashanah: No class
12. (10/2): Arthurian Society in Romance I: The Value System of
Chivalry: Chrétien de Troyes, Cligés; Pearsall,
pp. 20-26, 31-32 ________________________, ________________________
13. (10/7): Arthurian Society in Romance I: The Value System
of Chivalry: Chrétien de Troyes, Cligés ________________________,
________________________
14. (10/9): Yom Kippur: No class
15. (10/14): Arthurian Society in Romance II: The Hero as Knight
and Lover: Chrétien de Troyes, Erec and Enid; Pearsall,
pp. 30-31 ________________________, ________________________;
all short papers to be held after October 16 are due today
16. (10/16): Arthurian Society in Romance II: The Hero as Knight
and Lover: Chrétien de Troyes, Erec and Enid ________________________,
________________________
17. (10/21): Arthurian Society in Romance III: Chrétien
de Troyes, The Knight of the Cart; Pearsall, pp. 26-29
________________________, ________________________
18. (10/23): Arthurian Society in Romance III: Chrétien
de Troyes, The Knight of the Cart ________________________,
________________________
19. (10/28): Religious Reconstitution: The Quest of the
Holy Grail; Pearsall, pp. 43-48 ________________________,
________________________
20. (10/30): Religious Reconstitution: The Quest of the Holy
Grail ________________________, ________________________
21. (11/4): Arthurian Additions: Fragmentation of the Hero,
Secular and Religious Chivalry: Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival;
Pearsall, pp. 50-59 ________________________, ________________________
22. (11/6): Arthurian Additions: Fragmentation of the Hero, Secular
and Religious Chivalry: Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival
________________________, ________________________
(11/11): Veterans Day: No Class
23. (11/13): Arthurian Additions: Fragmentation of the Hero, Secular
and Religious Chivalry: Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival
________________________, ________________________
24. (11/18): Camelot as Satire, Arthurian Romance as Erziehungsroman:
Subjectivity in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Pearsall,
pp. 75-82 ________________________, ________________________
25. (11/20): Camelot as Satire, Arthurian Romance as Erziehungsroman:
Subjectivity in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ________________________,
________________________
26. (11/25): Arthur Among the Gentry: from Malory, Works:
"The Most Piteous Tale of the Morte Arthur"; Pearsall,
pp. 96-109 ________________________, ________________________
(11/27-28): Thanksgiving: No Class
27. (12/2): Arthur Among the Gentry: from Malory, Works:
"The Most Piteous Tale of the Morte Arthur" ________________________,
________________________
28. (12/4): Arthur Among the Gentry: from Malory, Works:
"The Most Piteous Tale of the Morte Arthur" ________________________,
________________________
29. (12/9): Final Paper due today (with the copy of the short paper you handed in to me earlier in the semester)
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY!
In the "Student Academic Integrity Policy" manual,
ASU defines "Plagiarism [as] using another's words, ideas,
materials or work without properly acknowledging and documenting
the source. Students are responsible for knowing the rules governing
the use of another's work or materials and for acknowledging and
documenting the source appropriately." You can find this
definition at:
http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm#definitions
Academic dishonesty, including inappropriate collaboration, will not be tolerated. There are severe sanctions for cheating, plagiarizing, and any other form of dishonesty.