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Assignments Presentation and Paper Topics The "questions to consider" are intended, as the phrase implies, to get you thinking about a topic; you don't have to answer every one of these, and it's also ok to develop your presentation and paper in other directions. Please avoid relying too heavily on any one source, and feel free to "branch out" in your research. For example, if you're doing a presentation on Chrétien de Troyes, and you find out that Chrétien's patrons included Henry II and Marie de Champagne, you might investigate these figures in order to understand the big picture. Since you may have to
order articles through ILL, it's important to get
started with your research as soon as possible. If
you're having trouble finding information, please get
in touch with me right away; don't wait until the last
minute! Where
possible, use scholarly resources. First
consult the items on reserve and in the reference
section. Many articles are available
full-text; this does not make them "online"
sources. We'll talk more about this in class! Presentation/Paper 1: Chrétien de Troyes Assignment Present and overview of Chrétien de Troyes. Questions to Consider What do we know about Chrétien? What was the milieu in which he wrote, and why is it important to his work? How might he have heard stories of Arthur and his companions? What is Chrétien's contribution to Arthurian legend? Resources 1. W. W. Kibler and C. W. Carroll, introduction to Arthurian Romances 2. Jean Frappier, "Chrétien de Troyes," in R. S. Loomis, ed., Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages 3. Norris Lacy and Joan T. Grimbert, A Companion to Chrétien de Troyes Presentation/Paper 2: Chivalry Assignment Define the medieval concept of "chivalry." Questions to Consider What, precisely, is meant by "chivalry"? How are the different meanings of the word related? What are potential sources for the study of chivalry in the Middle Ages, and what are their strengths and weaknesses? Was chivalry real, or does it only exist only as an ideal to which people paid lip service? What are the different elements or aspects of chivalry? Historically, how did the meaning of the "chivalry" evolve? What role does chivalry play in Yvain? Resources 1. Sir Maurice Keen, "The Idea of Chivalry" and "The Secular Origins of Chivalry" in Chivalry Presentation/Paper 3: Courtly Love Assignment Outline the features of "courtly love." Questions to Consider What is meant by the term "courtly love"? How, precisely, can it be defined? Are there any problems in defining it? What is its origin? From which sources can we arrive at a definition of this concept? What aspects of courtly love are manifest in The Knight of the Cart? Resources 1. C. S. Lewis, "Courtly Love," in The Allegory of Love 2. Bernard O'Donoghue, "Introduction," from The Courtly Love Tradition 3. The intro to "Romance" in Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend (pp.83-85) Presentation/Paper 4: Gawain Assignment Discuss the origins and evolution of the character of Sir Gawain. Questions to Consider Who is Sir Gawain? What are his origins? How did his character evolve in Arthurian legend before the Gawain-poet? What do we learn of him in Fitts 1-2 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight? Is this at odds with the traditional image of the character? Resources 1. Raymond H. Thompson and Gawain: A Casebook, ed. Thompson and Busby 2. The introduction to our classpack ed. of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Presentation/Paper 5: Chivalry and Religion Assignment Trace the religious dimensions of medieval knighthood. Questions to Consider How did the church's attitude toward war and knighthood change over time? For ecclesiastics like St. Bernard, what were some undesirable aspects of knighthood? What is Ritterfrömmigkeit, and how does it differ from the piety of priests or monks? How does the religious dimension of chivalry manifest itself in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight? Resources 1. Sir Maurice Keen, "Chivalry, the Church and the Crusade" in Chivalry 2. Richard Kaeuper, Holy Warriors: The Religious Ideology of Chivalry 2. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, "In Praise of the New Knighthood" Presentation/Paper 6: Hunting in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Assignment Give an overview about the importance of hunting in the Middle Ages, and discuss the importance of the three hunts in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Questions to Consider What role did hunting play in the life of the medieval aristocracy? Why are the hunts described in such detail in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight? What are some symbolic readings of the hunts that have been proposed? What are the strengths and limitations of these readings? Resources 1. Joseph and Frances Gies, "Hunting as a Way of Life," in Life in a Medieval Castle, pp. 125-46 2. Anne Rooney, "The Hunts in SGGK," in A Companion to the Gawain-Poet, pp. 157-64 (I have this checked out, so please get it from me) 3. Henry L. Savage, "Symbolism and Allegory in SGGK," in The Gawain-Poet, pp. 31-48 (ditto) Presentation/Paper 7: Sir Thomas Malory Assignment Present an overview of the current thinking about the identity of Sir Thomas Malory, and situate him within the cultural and political context of mid to late 15th century England. Questions to Consider What facts do we know about Sir Thomas Malory? Briefly, what different candidates have been advanced for being the "real" Malory? Again briefly, why has it been so difficult to settle on one specific person? What do we know about the most popular candidate, the Newbold Revel Malory? Do you find it disturbing that he had such a long "rap sheet"? What was the culture and politics of mid to late 15th century England like? How would this have affected Malory? How does this information help us to understand the Morte Darthur? Resources 1. Terence McCarthy, "Background and Biography" in An Introduction to Malory 2. Christina Hardyment, Malory: The Knight Who Became King Arthur's Chronicler (the following chapters are especially important: "The Puzzle," "Misrule Doth Rise," "Knight Reformer," "Nemesis," and "Ravisher of Women?", pp. 9-21, and 242-312; the timeline on pp. xi-xvi is very helpful) Presentation/Paper 8: Merlin Assignment Trace and origin and evolution of the character of Merlin. Questions to Consider What are some theories about the origins (and name) of the character of Merlin? What role did Geoffrey of Monmouth play in popularizing this character? How had the character evolved by the time that Malory wrote about him, especially in the Vulgate cycle? Why do you think Merlin is such a popular Arthurian character? Resources 1. Peter Goodrich, Merlin: A Casebook 2. Geoffrey of Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain (review the sections we read, plus "The Prophecies of Merlin") Presentation/Paper 9: Morgan le Fay Assignment Trace the origin and evolution of the character of Morgan le Fay in Arthurian literature. Questions to Consider What are some possible origins of the character of Morgan le Fay? What role does she generally play in Arthurian literature? How has the character's depiction evolved over time? What role(s) does she play in the Morte Darthur? Resources 1. Charlotte Spivak, "Morgan le Fay: Goddess or Witch?" in Sally K. Slocum, ed., Popular Arthurian Traditions (ILL or get copy from me) 2. Larrington, Carolyne. King Arthur's Enchantresses: Morgan and her Sisters in Arthurian Tradition. 3. Whyland, Andrea. "Morgan le Fay: Origin and Evolution." Hanover College Independent Study, 2000. Online at: http://vault.hanover.edu/~battles/arthur/morgan.htm Presentation/Paper 10: Excalibur Assignment Discuss the significance of Arthur's sword, Excalibur. Questions to Consider When did Arthur become associated with his famous sword? What attributes do early authors give to Excalibur? In what ways is Excalibur similar to, and different from, other magic Celtic weapons? When did Excalibur become associated with the Lady of the Lake, Avalon, and the sword in the stone? How have later authors re-interpreted Excalibur? What role, particularly, does it play in Malory's Morte Darthur? Resources 1. Ettlinger, Ellen. "Magic Weapons in Celtic Legends." Folklore 56 (1945): 295-307 [J-STOR] 2. Puhvel, Martin. "The Deicidal Otherworld Weapon in Celtic and Germanic Mythic Tradition." Folklore 83 (1972): 210-219 [J-STOR] 3. Bruce, Christopher. "Excalibur." In The Arthurian Name Dictionary. http://www.celtic-twilight.com/camelot/bruce_dictionary/index.htm 4. Whitaker, Muriel. "The Sword and the Crown." In King Arthur's Kingdom of Adventure. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1984. [I have a copy that you can borrow] Presentation/Paper 11: Lancelot Assignment Discuss the origin and evolution of the character of Lancelot. Questions to Consider We are already familiar with the character of Lancelot from Chrétien. What are the character's origins? How did his character evolve after Chrétien's Knight of the Cart? What changes to his character does Malory make? What role does he play in the Morte Darthur? Resources 1. Lori J. Walters, ed. Lancelot and Guinevere: A Casebook Presentation/Paper 12: Monty Python and the Comic Tradition Assignment Discuss the various satiric approaches to Arthurian legend, particularly that of Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail. Questions to Consider Arthur and his knights are often depicted in a very idealized way. Yet, almost from the very beginning, there has also been a strain of criticism directed at them; this often takes the form of humor. Discuss some of the notable comic responses to Arthurian legend, particularly Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail. What techniques does the film use to undermine the high idealism associated with the legend? How does its humor work? In what ways does the movie parody not only the legend, but earlier films? Resources 1. David D. Day, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Madness with a Definite Method." In Cinema Arthuriana: Twenty Essays. Ed. Kevin J. Harty. [ ILL or check Google books] 2. Elizabeth Archibald. "Questioning Arthurian Ideals." In Cambridge Companion to the Arthurian Legend. Ed. Elizabeth Archibald and Ad Putter. [ I ordered this volume in late August, but please double-check to make sure it has arrived; otherwise, ILL!] 3. Perry, George. The Life of Python. 4. Lupak, Alan, and Barbara Tepa Lupack. "Reaction to Tennyson: Parody." In King Arthur in America. Presentation/Paper 13: Gareth and the "Fair Unknown" Theme Assignment Discuss the character of Gareth in the Morte Darthur, especially in "The Tale of Gareth of Orkney", as well as the "Fair Unknown" theme in medieval romance Questions to Consider Which authors before Malory wrote about Sir Gareth? How much is known about this character before the Morte Darthur? What is meant the "Fair Unknown theme," and how does the "Tale of Sir Gareth" represent it? Within the Morte Darthur, what roles do the paired tales of Lancelot and Gareth play? Resources 1. Barbara Nolan, "The Tale of Sir Gareth and The Tale of Sir Lancelot" in A Companion to Malory 2. R. H. Wilson, "The 'Fair Unknown' in Malory," PMLA 58 (1943): 1-21 (available through J-STOR) 3. Terence McCarthy, "Gareth: Love and Allegiance" in An Introduction to Malory (pp. 23-26) Presentation/Paper 14: Knighthood in the Morte Darthur Assignment Discuss the depiction and the thematic significance of knighthood in the Morte Darthur. We have already learned something about chivalry in general, but what did this ideal mean to Malory? Questions to Consider Was chivalry just a literary convention, or did people really believe like this during Malory's day (or is the reality more complex than either question would suggest)? For Malory, what does this concept represent? What bearing does chivalry have for the theme(s) of the Morte Darthur? How is it manifest in our readings for today? Resources 1. Larry D. Benson, "Malory and Chivalry" in Malory's Morte Darthur 2. Richard Barber, "Chivalry in the Morte Darthur" in A Companion to Malory 3. Beverly Kennedy, Knighthood in the Morte Darthur Presentation/Paper 15: Malory and the Grail Assignment Discuss the evolution of the grail legend, and especially Malory's take on it. Questions to Consider Briefly, what is the holy grail, and how is it depicted in Arthurian literature before Malory? What source or sources does Malory base his grail-quest on? How do scholars interpret the significance of the grail in the Morte Darthur? Do you agree with any particular theory? Resources 1. Jill Mann, "Malory and the Grail Legend," in A Companion to Malory 2. "The Holy Grail," in Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend (esp. pp. 213-27, 241-49) 3. Dhira Mahoney, ed., The Grail: A Casebook Presentation/Paper 16: Guinevere Assignment Discuss the origin and evolution of the character of Guinevere. Questions to Consider What are the origins of Guinevere? How did she come to be associated with Arthur? Lancelot? How has Guinevere been judged by medieval, Victorian, and modern readers? Resources 1. Walters, Lori J., ed. Lancelot and Guinevere: A Casebook 2. Thelma Fenster, ed., Arthurian Women: A Casebook Presentation/Paper 17: The Fall of Camelot Assignment Discuss the fall of the Round Table, with special reference to the literary evolution of this theme and the unique twist that Malory gives to it. Questions to Consider As we learned in class, Arthur (if he existed at all) was originally a Celtic military leader who fought against the Germanic tribes. In Malory, however, the downfall of Arthur's kingdom is caused essentially by internal divisions among his knights. Over time, how did ideas about the downfall of Arthur's kingdom change? Of course, much of Malory's story is based directly on his French sources, but what did he change? Why? As a reader, how do you feel about the downfall of Arthur's kingdom? Resources 1. C. David Benson, "The Ending of the Morte Darthur," in A Companion to Malory 2. Fanni Bogdanow, "The Evolution of the Theme of the Fall of Arthur's Kingdom" in King Arthur: A Casebook Presentation/Paper 18: Tennyson and the Arthurian Revival Assignment Describe the "Arthurian Revival" in the nineteenth century and Tennyson's role within it. Questions to Consider Why do we speak of an Arthurian "Revival," and what lead to the revival (both general, e.g. Victorian social conditions, and specific, e.g. the rediscovery of Malory)? What did nineteenth-century authors and audiences see in Arthurian legend? What was Tennyson's interest in the legend, and how would you characterize Tennyson's rendition of Arthurian legend? In comparison with his medieval sources, which elements of the legend did he stress and which did they downplay? How did his treatment of Arthurian legend evolve? What influence did Tennyson's exercise, both in its own day and for subsequent audiences and writers? Where you can, connect your comments to the readings for today. Resources 1. Elizabeth Jenkins, "The Pre-Raphaelites, Tennyson, Ourselves," in The Mystery of King Arthur 2. Jennifer Goodman, "Arthur Through 1900," in The Legend of Arthur in British and American Literature 3. Staines, David, Tennyson's Camelot: "The Idylls of the King" and Its Medieval Sources |
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