Dr Katie L. Walter

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English Study Group

Accessing the Middle Ages: Manuscripts, Scribes, Scripts
Tue 10 am - 12 pm, GB 5/39 (Nord)

How was a medieval book made? How can we read old manuscripts or analyse their composition and decoration? How do we find the ‘true’ version of, for example, Mandeville’s Travels, when it exists in many different versions, or the ‘original’ comic tale which exists only in a seventeenth-century edition, like Bishop Percy’s famous folio? This is a skills-based course designed to develop key knowledge and practical skills for students, both new to the study of the Middle Ages and those working at a more advanced level. We will devote sessions to: manuscript production and the history of the book; understanding the manuscript page – how to go about reading medieval handwriting and how to describe manuscript illustration and marginalia; there will also be several sessions on analysing Old and Middle English from linguistics and literary perspectives, as well as on how to pronounce and perform Middle English texts.

This course can be taken as a stand-alone Übung but also in conjunction with seminars in the area ‘Literature Before 1700’ being offered this semester, for example, those dealing with Middle English Romance, narrative lyrics, and travel narratives. We will, for example, use the Auchinleck Manuscript (key for our knowledge of Middle English romances), Mandeville’s Travels, and the afterlives of medieval bawdy tales as case studies for discussing the particular value, problems and challenges of medieval texts, as well as for trying out practical, specialist skills required for the study of the Middle Ages.

Course Assessment: Further to attendance and active participation in class, this course will be assessed through a number of practical assignments which will test skills learned and developed in the course.

Medieval English Literature (MEL)
Group C: Wed 2 - 4 pm, HGB 20

Description: Using a core set of medieval texts from the Old to Middle English period (a800-1500AD) as case studies, this course combines an introduction to Medieval English literature, language and culture, with theme-based research projects developed by students working individually and in groups. Students will therefore gain a broad knowledge base, useful for advanced study across periods of English, while also having the opportunity to focus on areas of particular interest to them, ranging from linguistics and contemporary critical theory, to gender studies and ‘practical criticism’ of literary texts.

Aims: Further to key knowledge specific to the study of the English Middle Ages, this course also aims to develop general skills in individual research, group work, and the presentation of research. As a result, teaching in introductory lectures and discussion-based seminars is combined with a number of ‘virtual teaching’ sessions, where students will be able to devote time to their research projects and utilise online-communication tools to work with their peers and receive individual input to their work from course teachers. The symposium held in the final session of the course will give students the opportunity to practice scholarly methods for the presentation and dissemination of research.

Course Assessment: The course has no central exam, but rather is assessed continuously, including a group research project which will culminate in poster presentations made at the final symposium.