Module MELA41030: Arthur and After: The European Romance in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

Department: Modern Language and Cultures

MELA41030: Arthur and After: The European Romance in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• Research Methods and Resources module; Issues in Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To consolidate students' knowledge of the epic genre and of its development during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in western Europe.
• To build on the Issues in Medieval and Renaissance Studies module by encouraging an interdisciplinary approach that seeks to identify the common features of texts produced over several centuries and in diverse locations.
• To foster critical reflection on the relationship between the epic genre and changing patterns in society.
• To complement other optional modules in the MA in Medieval and Renaissance Studies offered in MLAC and in other departments.
• To offer the possibility of further critical exploration of the topic area in the MA dissertation module.

Content

• This module will consist of a critical survey of the development of the romance genre in France, Germany, Italy and Spain )dependant on staff availability) from its inception to the end of the renaissance, with special reference to changing adaptations of the matiere de Bretagne, the tension between entertainment and didacticism, the use of allegory, constructions of gender and cultural alterity. Key texts to be studied will include (subject to staff availability) the romances of Chretien de Troyes; the Roman de la Rose; Wirnt von Bravenberg, Wigalois; Boiardo, Orlando innamorato; Ariosto, Orlando furioso; Tirant lo Blanch. Rather than dealing with each national tradition in isolation, seminars will be organised chronologically in order to illustrate cross-cultural developments of the romance genre. Regular plenary seminars will bring together staff from different language departments in order to permit interdisciplinary discussion.

Learning Outcomes

• An in-depth knowledge of the romance genre in western europe during the period studied with particular reference to transformations in te treatment of Arthurian material.

• An ability to trace the development of common themes, techniques and images across national traditions and to account for their transmission.
• An ability to write cogently and persuasively on a specialised comparative topic within the subject area of the module, drawing on the work of previous scholars as necessary.

• Enhanced presentation skills using a variety of media (written work, seminar papers, etc.).

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• In seminars students will have the oppertunity to study the genesis and growth of the romance genre in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and to study representative texts, with particular emphasis being given to developments in the treatment of Arthurian material. Study of individual national traditions with subject specialists will be supplemented by plenary seminars at which different traditions will be compared and the links between them explored. A 5,000-word essay on a comparative topic will draw on and deepen this interdisciplinary perspective. Two 1-hour tutorials in the Epiphany Term will enable students to select and research a suitable topic in collaboration with their chosen supervisor(s). Seminar presentations by students will enable further enhancement of loral presentation skills.
• While a working knowledge of French, German, Italian or Spanish would be helpful for students, it is recognised that the interdisciplinary nature of the module makes study of texts in translation inevitable. It is hoped that students will be able to draw on a range of linguistic knowledge in collaborative working to permit greater access to the original language of the texts studied.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

At least one seminar presentation per term; a draft bibliography on the chosen essay topic for the second tutorial in the Epiphany Term.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University