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2008/09 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ENGL3218 Arthurian Legend: Chivalry and Violence

20 creditsClass Size: 20

School of English

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2008/09

Pre-requisite qualifications

Grade B at 'A' Level in English Language or Literature or equivalent or an achieved mark of 56 or above in a Level 1 module in English.

Please note: This module is restricted to Level 2 and 3 students.

This module is mutually exclusive with

ENGL32540The Development of the Arthurian Legend

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

The thirteenth-century English writer Lawman confidently asserts that King Arthur is 'meat and drink' to poets, and this will be true 'as long as this world lasts'. We shall read Geoffrey of Monmouth, Welsh texts, Chretien de Troyes and Malory to chart how Arthurian story evolves from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, and how texts reinterpret, for their own times, motifs such as the formation of the Round Table, the quest for the Grail, the adultery of Lancelot and Guinevere, the treachery of Mordred and the ultimate tragic downfall of Arthur's Kingdom.Medieval historians argue vigorously over whether chivalry is a brutalizing or civilising force, a cynical means of oppression or the expression of the highest idealism. We investigate the place of chivalry and violence in Arthurian narratives and ask how their representation reflects on relations between the sexes and on the legend's political and historical importance; we shall also look at aspects of the development and representation of arms and armour. There will also be the opportunity to research how nineteenth- to twenty-first-century works, from novels and poetry to films, engage with the exhilarating, dynamic and troubling legacy of medieval Arthuriana to recreate Arthurs for our own age.

Objectives

By the end of the module, students will have:

- read important Arthurian texts from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, and considered their interrelation;
- developed an awareness of the historical contexts of Arthurian literature, and specifically of aspects of the ethical and ideological debates over chivalry that are of central concern to medieval Arthurian texts;
- considered how literary texts mediate cultural and historical concerns; understood different genres and their importance to interpretation;
- had the opportunity to undertake independent research into relations between medieval and modern Arthurian texts.

Learning outcomes
Students will have developed:
- the ability to use written and oral communication effectively;
- the capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse;
- the ability to manage quantities of complex information in a structured and systematic way;
- the capacity for independent thought and judgement;
- critical reasoning;
- research skills, including the retrieval of information, the organisation of material and the evaluation of its importance;
- IT skills;
- efficient time management and organisation skills;
- the ability to learn independently.

Skills outcomes
Skills for effective communication, oral and written.
Capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse.
Ability to acquire quantities of complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way.
Capacity for independent thought and judgement.
Critical reasoning.
Research skills, including information retrieval skills, the organisation of material, and the evaluation of its importance.
IT skills.
Time management and organisational skills.
Independent learning.


Syllabus

Week 1: Historiography, and the ethical debates to which Arthurian literature gives rise; Week 2: Geoffrey of Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain; Week 3: Romances of Chretien de Troyes, I; Week 4: Romances of Chretien de Troyes, II; Week 5: Malory: The Story of Arthur and Merlin; Week 6: Malory and History in The Book of Arthur and Lucius; Week 7: Malory's heroes and violence: Lancelot and Gareth; Week 8: Tournament: The Book of Sir Tristram; Week 9: The Grail and the Book of the Sankgreal; Week 10: The Morte Darthur.

Lectures / plenary sessions include: discussion of historiographical approaches; lectures on Arthur as mythic/legendary subject; on Chretien; on Malory; discussion of post-medieval Arthuriana.

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Meetings51.005.00
Seminar101.0010.00
Private study hours185.00
Total Contact hours15.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)200.00

Private study

Teaching will be through weekly seminars (10 x 1 hour) plus up to 5 additional hours (content to be determined by the module tutor). The 5 additional hours may include lectures, plenary sessions, film showings, or the return of unassessed/assessed essays.

Private Study: Reading, seminar preparation and essay writing

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Seminar contribution
1st assessed essay (Week 7)

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Essay1,700 words33.30
Essay2,750 words66.70
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 24/04/2008

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