Semester II, 2000-2001

Robert Longsworth

English 140
MWF, 3:30-4:20
King 327

Rice 128, (440) 775-8571
Office hours: MF 11:00-12:00,
Th 8-9:30, & by appt

E-mail: robert.longsworth@oberlin.edu

Themes in Arthurian Literature

Writing Tutor: Joshua Mason [joshua.mason@oberlin.edu]
Telephone: 774-5235

The Chief Objectives of this course are 1.) to acquaint students with some of the rich textual lore about King Arthur, his courtiers, and his courtly ethos; 2.) to enable students to explore themes and ideas that recur or change as Arthurian stories are told, retold, and refashioned; 3.) to provide an opportunity for vigorous, candid discussion among students; 4.) to encourage in students their reflection on fruitful ways of reading and interpreting texts; 5.) to stimulate the production of extensive written work on the part of students; and 6.) to provide useful responses to that written work in order that it may be revised and re-submitted.

Requirements for the course will include:
1. timely completion of work assigned for reading or viewing;
2. class participation (both in the form of regular attendance and of engagement in discussion);
3. submission of three short (3-5 page) essays on topics to be assigned:
a. each essay is due at the beginning of class on the date appointed and will be submitted to the Writing Tutor;
b. the Writing Tutor will meet with each student to discuss his or her essay and ideas for improvement (if appropriate);
c. a final version of the essay will be submitted to the Instructor no later than the date specified: it will be due at the beginning of class on that date, and will be returned to the student with a written evaluation and a grade appended;
4. submission of a final essay (8-12 pages) on a topic to be agreed upon in consultation with the instructor.
[Note: in the instructor's evaluation, class participation will comprise about a third of the grade for the course, the final essay will comprise about a third, and the shorter papers a third]
 

The Texts for the course will include:

Malory's Le Morte Arthur, ed. and tr. Keith Baines
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, The Idylls of the King
Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon
Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave
Jack Whyte, The Sorceror

The Format of the course will consist of discussions of the material assigned: one student will be asked to initiate each day's discussion, and the other students in the class will be expected to respond. (It will be useful for each student to keep a reading and classroom journal for this purpose.) In some cases, the material assigned will be cinematic; and arrangements will be made for viewing that material in advance.

The Schedule of topics to be considered and assignments to be carried out in preparation for each day's class follows:

Feb 5 Introduction to the course

Feb 7 Malory, 21-43 ("Merlin")

Feb 9 Tennyson, "The Coming of Arthur"

Feb 12 Malory, 43-69 ("Balin"); Tennyson, "Balin and Balan"
Due: Essay 1 (first draft), on Arthur's Birth

Feb 14 Malory, 137-169 ("Tale of Sir Gareth"); Tennyson, "Gareth and Lynette"

Feb 16 Malory, 69-94 ("War with the Five Kings," "Arthur and Accolon," "Gawain, Uwayne, and Marhaus"); Tennyson, "Merlin and Vivien"

Feb 19 Malory, 118-136 ("Tale of Sir Launcelot du Lake"); 432-471 ("Book of Sir Launcelot and Queen Gwynevere")
Due: Essay 1 (final version)

Feb 21 Tennyson, "Lancelot and Elaine"

Feb 23 Tennyson, "The Last Tournament"

Feb 26 Film: Excalibur

Feb 28 Malory, 359-431 ("Tale of the Sangreal")

Mar 2 Tennyson, "The Holy Grail"

Mar 5 Film: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Mar 7 Tennyson, "Marriage of Geraint," "Geraint and Enid"; "Pelleas and Ettarre"

Mar 9 Malory, 472-507 ("Le Morte D'Arthur")
Due: Essay 2 (first draft), on an Arthurian Episode, Image, or Motif

Mar 12 Tennyson, "Guinevere"; "The Passing of Arthur"

Mar 14 Film: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Mar 16 Poems (to be distributed in advance)

Mar 19 Film: Camelot

Mar 21 Film: Lancelot du Lac

Mar 23 Due: Essay 2 (final version)

SPRING BREAK

Apr 2. Bradley, The Mists of Avalon, "Prologue" and "Mistress of Magic," chs. 1-10

Apr 4 Bradley, Mists, "Mistress of Magic," chs. 11-20

Apr 6 Bradley, Mists, "The High Queen"

Apr 9 Bradley, Mists, "The King Stag"

Apr 1 Bradley, Mists, "The Prisoner in the Oak," chs. 1-10

Apr 13 Bradley, Mists, "The Prisoner in the Oak," chs. 11-17; and "Epilogue"

Apr 16 Film: The Fisher King
Due: Essay 3 (first draft), on the Contemporaneity of an Arthurian Episode, Image, or Motif

Apr 18 Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave, "Prologue," "Legend," "Author's Note," and Book I

Apr 20 Stewart, Crystal Cave, Books II and III

Apr 23 Stewart, Crystal Cave, Books IV and V
Due: Essay 3 (final version); and Proposal for Final Essay Topic

Apr 25 Jack Whyte, The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis

Apr 27 Whyte, Sorcerer

Apr 30 Whyte, Sorcerer

May 2 Malory, 170-200 ("Iseult the Fair")

May 4 Due: Final Essay (first draft)

May 7 Malory, 200-278 (from "The Book of Sir Tristram of Lyoness")

May 9 Matthew Arnold, Tristram and Iseult (on reserve)

May 11 To be Announced

May 15 End of Reading Period: FINAL ESSAY DUE