Fall 2001	Jennifer Bryan
English 201 (4123)	Rice 26, (440) 775-8586
TuTh, 9:35-10:50, King 343 E-mail: Jennifer.Bryan@oberlin.edu	Office hours: M, 9:00-10:00, Tu, 3:00-4:00 Th, 11:00-12:00, & by appt

Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales

Texts:

a reading packet, available in the English department (Rice 130)

Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, Complete (ed. Benson)

This course will explore Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in relation to the turbulent world of late-medieval England: a world of both decay and renewal, of catastrophic violence and decline for some, but dazzling possibility for others. Through the voices of competing storytellers, Chaucer's last great poem tests the boundaries of social possibility in a "disenchanted" age, weighing the competing claims of allegory and realism, chivalry and commerce, traditional authority and individual experience. And it does so, remarkably, in English -- a language newly exploding into literary relevance after three hundred years as the tongue of a subjugated, mostly illiterate people.

The Canterbury Tales is in many ways an ideal text with which to begin a study of English literature -- not only because its Middle English dialect is the direct ancestor of our modern English, but because few texts are so immediately, obsessively concerned with what it means to tell stories. How do cultural, social, and personal agendas affect the production of narrative? Who gets to speak, and whose voice is heard? What are the material consequences of literary authority and tradition? ("I was beaten for a book," the Wife of Bath observes.) How do stories uphold or challenge the status quo? How does language create subjectivity, establishing the boundaries of what we can believe and imagine, even as we speak it?

In order to reap the full benefits of Chaucer's subtle, rich, and witty poetry, students will need to invest some serious time and effort in learning Middle English. Sustained attention to the language at the beginning of the semester will yield considerable rewards later.

Requirements:

1.) Regular, informed, and enthusiastic participation in seminar. More than three absences will adversely affect your grade. But prompt attendance is only the bare minimum -- I expect you to be prepared, engaged, inquisitive, and responsive to your classmates. The material may seem strange at first, but this is all the more reason to ask questions.

2). Language Work. You will learn by heart the first 18 lines of the "General Prologue" and recite them for me in my office before the fourth week of class. You will choose another 25 lines to read aloud with reasonably correct Middle English pronunciation and unreasonable enthusiasm. In preparation for this appointment, I suggest you work together in pairs or small groups. A CD with some Middle English readings has been placed on reserve in the music library.

During the first part of the semester, there will be regular but unannounced "translation" quizzes which will cover material from the day's reading. Vocabulary lists are a must.

Please don't feel shy about coming in for help. I will be happy to read with you, and to help you with any vocabulary or pronunciation issues that might arise.

3.) 3 Protocols, 2-3 pages each. "Protocols" are brief, somewhat informal written assignments which allow you to respond to the day's reading. I recommend choosing a passage of about 30 lines for careful analysis, but you may address broader issues if you wish. Protocols may be turned in either Tuesday or Thursday of the week they are due, as long as they address the readings for that day. Protocols are meant to be a forum for ideas which may or may not be fully worked out. They do not need introductions, conclusions, thesis statements, or fully developed arguments. No matter how tentative your thoughts, however, I expect them to be communicated in language that is correct, concise, and engaging. Please proof-read. Sloppy assignments will be handed back for improvement.

Protocols will receive comments, but no grade, and I reserve the right to read them aloud in class or post them on the course blackboard.

4.) 2 Papers, 5-7 pages each. Papers must be typed and double-spaced, with one-inch margins and informative titles (no separate title pages, please). Late papers will be marked down; if you need an extension, ask me before the due date.

5.) A final exam, mostly essay.